United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My son is 41/2 years old and was diagnosed with Erbs Palsy. However, he has not received therapy nor has the option of surgery ever been mentioned. Our HMOs attitude is it will get better with time. Although the arm is a lot better now than it was at birth, he has a floppy wrist and less strength and flexibility in the affected arm. Is it` too late now for physical therapy or possibly surgery or an alternative method to treat these problems?

You need to get to a BPI specialist quick...I don't think it is ever too late to start doing the right thing. It sounds like your HMO has misled you. Write back and tell us where about you are living. Someone here will be able to locate a apecialist for you.
There is a lot of great info on this sight. Read all you can. The info on therapy and all the things in the awareness section are great. I'm glad you found us. You're not alone!
T.

It's never too late to do something, if it needs to be done, and sounds as if it does. With this injury you as the parent must be really proactive. The insurance company doesn't want to pay for anything they don't have to and you have to fight them to get what you need for your child. The first place to start is the physician! Welcome to the boards, hope you get alot of info here. Check the awareness section on this sight. There are things to take to your doctor. Good Luck! LeeAnne

Welcome to the board. There is a lot of information at this website that explains this birth injury and therapy protocol. It's on the first page of this site under the awareness info. or go to: http://ubpn.org/awareness/A2001hand ... uries.html

There is info. you can give your pediatrician, who can (and should!) make a referral to a PT/OT. It is important that you see a pediatric brachial plexus injury specialist. If you let us know where you live, perhaps someone can give you the name of a local specialist who truly understands this injury. There are also different BPI picnics and gatherings around the country, beginning this Spring, and a bpi specialist from The Texas Children's Hospital BPI Clinic will be there to evaluate bp injured children for free. For a list of the gatherings so far go to:
http://www.injurednewborn.com. Under Resources you can find a list of picnics. There are picnics scheduled in N. Carolina, Ohio, Chicago, Pennsylvania, etc.

There is info. and help out there. Best of luck to you and your son.

Thanks for your response. This website has been a godsend. I live in the state of California(Orange County area) and we currently have insurance with Kaiser Permanente(HMo). I am definitely going to request a visit to a PT/OT.