United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi I'm a 28 year old male and I,ve got a Traumatic BPI to my left arm it happened about 8 years ago falling of a motorbike, I can only lift a 1 kg weight with my left arm, I haven't had any surgery because at the time of my accident and about 6 months later I felt that my arm was coming back and I didn't need it.(big mistake)
The strength in my forearm and hand is normal but every other muscle is weak, I constantly do weight exercises on my arm (every second day) After my workout my arm feels pumped but I cannot get my strength to increase and also I cannot get my arm to put on some muscle so it doesn't look so skinny,I've tried doing every thing for a long period of time (swimming, physio, electric tens, cardio exercise, massages, accupunture)but I cannot get my arm to function.
When I was in hospital my neurosurgeon told me that I have a avulved nerve (I think C6) but they also where not certain of that because of my strength in my hand and forearm.
I have allot of scar tissue in my neck which I think is slowing me down and I also think that I have a nerve avulved and my arm is only functioning due to a prefix.
Is there any one out there that has a similar injury to me and can pass on some information that I don't know of that can help me?
Thank you for your time.
Danny

Hello Danny,

I am glad you found the forums! I will try to answer a couple of your questions, I am no Dr but I have done extenseve research on TBP injuries since my daughter had her mx accident. If you had an avulsion there is not a chance that the nerve will spontaneously regenerate. But it sounds like there are options for your situation. Nerve transfers can still be done to get some funcion back. If the muscle is beyond reinervation, there are still options for free muscle transfers as well. How is your shoulder stability? Do you have motor ability in your pecs and lats? Have you had an EMG? Do you have any pain?

I have spoke with people that even after years of injury are able to get partial use out of injured areas. I am not familiar with Docs in Australia offering options for your injury but there are a few here that have had some very positive results. I hope this helps...

Roger

Danny,
I think your injury sounds very similar to my sons. He has full hand and forarm but the bicep is not strengthening well. He can only supinate to neutral, but think that was from a severe wrist injury. I am a little surprised that they felt you would have trouble with hand and lower arm with a c6 avulsion. Usually these would be a c8-t1 for hand. Lower arm would be c6-7. So, not sure if you've had any EMG's that might give you better infor. on this. But, if everything is moving would be surprised if there is an avulsion. However with Dustin what they said on the bicep is that although the nerve is firing not all of the muscle is responding. So though parts may be working it is not enough for him to move in gravity. Sounds like this may the the same for you. He can move it in water or laying on his side. He has now decided to do a muscle transfer to get some function in the arm. The drs at Mayo believe this will make it possible for him to bend the arm up in gravity and to be able to strengthen it. I think there are options for you. Good luck.
Sue

Hello Danny,

check out the following article:

http://www.oxfordbiomedica.co.uk/innurex.htm

dont know if this is in the market yet though.

I too had a motocycle accident 15 years ago, my problem is worse, I have almost no function of my right arm! (3 avulsions)

Regards/ Gunnar

Hi Roger,

Thank you for your time I have full use in my hand my forearm my back muscles, I can lift a 10 kg weight using my back I'm not shore what this muscle is called but the ones you use to do shoulder shrugs are normal, every other muscle I can only just use with gravity in the water my arm feels normal,

I did do a EMG in Bulgaria and the Doctor there I couldn't understand but what he did tell me was my main nerves are fine and that there is nothing wrong with me I need to keep up my physio and to get out of his office?

I have alot of pain but I don't use pain killers instead I use a TENs machine and when I use this i feel very little pain (I somethings leave it on all day underneath my clothes)

I have tried steriods my doctors didn't think this would help me at all but I think the steriods made me push a little harder when I do my weight excercises, I think that the steriod helped me go to another level but I could be wrong I just wanted to try every thing out there because my doctor also told me when I first had my accident that I will never move my hand again.

I can swim overarm at the swimming pools for a few laps I can drive a manual car I only find it hard putting the car in 5th gear, My shoulder has dropped a little because I haven't ever used a brace but I would rather use my hand all day even if it kills me than it sitting in a brace all day not using it at all.

Only this passed month or so I have noticed I can lift a 1 kg weight laying down and working out on my chest, It looks very unstable but at least I've got something to work out on as a starting point.

Thank you for you time and its nice talking to someone.

Kind Regards
Danny

Hi Sue,

Thank you for responding to my message,My neurosurgons also are not shore with whats going on with my nerves, one surgon said that sometimes some peoples nerves are not all the same and thats why it doesn't make sense.

My bicep for about 6 years of my injury didn't move much and all I had was a flicker but after I started doing small weight excercises it I've noticed has became stronger and a very little bit bigger.

Once again thank you for responding.

Danny

Hi Gunnar,

Thank you for that I will look into it.

Kind regards
Danny

Hello Danny /Rogger


I'm 32, met with Road accident 15 months back,(C5 to T1 Avulsion) For that my nero Dr's done the nerver tranfer/grafting. But still i didn't get any improvement.

Pls clarify the folowings
a.How long it will take for wait lifting?
b.When the little movement it will start. For that any special tips.
c.Still you are having the pain.
d. This is a recoverable Injury atleast 50 to 60%?

Thanks...........Ramesh

Hi Ramesh,

My injury is a little different to yours and I didn't have any surgery done to my arm but in my case it took me about 5 years untill I was able to do resistance excercises with my arm, I never stopped excercising and working out on my arm no matter how useless it felt,
When I first started working out on my arm when I got out of hospital I could only do hydrotherapy, I sat in the swimming pools just trying to move my hand for about 3 hours a day, about 3 years later I was able to move my hand in every direction in water, then I started excercising with no weights (just gravity) for another few years until I was able to put a weight in my hand.

It was a long process and I'm a very long way from recovery but you cannot give up you must not get the mentality where you think it will not come back, If you do then you have already made up you mind as to what your goal will be. Massages are excellent for your injury as it will help with the blood flow.

My bycep started flickering first my hand and forearm was always functioning every other muscle slowly with alot of excercise came back 1 year at a time.
What I did was every year as a muscle started to flicker I focused on that muscle until I got enough strengh in that muscle to lift a 1 kg weight then I moved onto another weak muscle,

I still have allot of pain (burning sensation) but the only way I try to control that pain is with my TNS machine and in extreme times I use pain killers but I try to avoid drugs.

Ramesh the best advise I can give you is try to do allot of physio on your injury never give up even if you think it is not helping at all, eat healthy and exercise because these first few years are the most important.

I hope this will help a little.

Kind Regards
Danny

The steroids sound interesting. It had crossed our minds too and I did ask the dr. I thought if we could just get over the hump......get the arm to come up in gravity... then it would be easier to strenthen. The dr said he hasn't heard of it helping with a BPI. So, Dustin is using Creatine and an ammino protein suppliment since we couldn't get him to give him a prescription. We try to use weight in the water since there he can almost move like normal. Hoping this will help increase strength a little quicker. He also lays on his side next to the bowflex so he can lift weight that way, but does compensate with the shoulder.
Sue