United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My husband had his seond EMG/nerve conduction yesterday, which proved to be mostly bad news--- no improvement in his deltoid and superspinatus. Here's my question- it seems in watching them perform the test that there is some room for interpretation in the results. A different facility performed the first one so I'm wondering if we are totally comparing apples to apples (and probably trying to hold on to a little of the hope we had before yesterday). The thing is this new doctor just met him yesterday, so he hasn't seen the progress and I just don't see how there could be no improvement. 5 weeks ago DH couldn't use his delt or superspinatus AT ALL. Now, with the use of a little tool he made which takes out both gravity and the resistance of dragging his arm, when laying on his back he can move his arm out to the side almost straight out from his shoulder and can do similiar exercises that engage his superspinatus. OK, I guess I've turned this into more of a rant than a question, but yesterday just stunk!

Yes they do leave room for interpretation. Also they are not 100% acurate. The movement that you are describing sounds like how Dustin's started to work. We layed him on the floor then put a large smooth carboard under that side of him and had him do "angle wings". Try to raise up and down the arm. The smooth surface gave little risistance as on just carpet he couldn't move it. Eventually he was able to move further up and on the carpet and now with weight. I would say trust the movement. Keep excercising that's the most important.
Sue

Thanks for your reply Sue, that is good to hear. Part of the other problem I felt with yesterday's test was that they didn't give him enough time to try to make the movement. Sometimes it takes him awhile to "remember" how to do it and then once he does, he can do it well and smoothly. If you don't mind me asking, how far past the accident was your son when he first was able to make these movements?? I sort of feel like we are under a time crunch after yesterday (we are 3 months post accident, he started these movements at 2.5 months). I know surgery is ideally before 6 months and we have no intention to be hasty in our decision, but *I* feel like he's improved so much that some more "wait and see" is warranted.

I don't remember exactly how long before he could make the movements. I was trying to think, we brought him home 7 1/2 weeks after the accident. Then he was only doing shoulder shrugs for excersize. It took another couple of months for him to learn to get up from the floor. So it was at least 4 mos before we could get him down there to work like that. At first he could barely make any movement and I would walk the arm through the motion.

We took him to Mayo and because he was making improvements they wanted to wait also. I know there is someone else on the boards (from Canada) but don't remember their name, whose son's EMG didn't show much improvement but he had good recovery. Dustin's EMG shows all nerves firing but he still has no function. He can move only out of gravity. So the EMG can give an idea of where there is injury but it may not tell exactly what will happen. If your husband can get to the pool water is great for excersizing.
Sue

Our son's first, and second EMG's (7 weeks post accident, which was August 10, 2006) showed no response in c5.6 or7. Our NS here thought they were probably avulsed.

Five or six weeks later we went to the Mayo Clinic. Their EMG's showed almost nothing, and major surgery was proposed for January, as they wanted him to have every possible chance for the nerves to recover on their own.

By that visit, he had had some improvement, but there was one muscle group still not responding at all to the EMG testing. A surgery to repair it was scheduled for March. When we went in March they found enough recovery that they recommended cancelling surgery.

They were amazed, and told Eric he was "very, very lucky." He is pretty good now and thinks he may still be gaining movement and strength in the remaining weak areas. BTW he's 19 years old and very fit.

Thanks so much for your reply! That gives me hope that perhaps when/if we get to Mayo we could still get some decent news about my husband's shoulder area (we are very lucky in that his hand, wrist, forearm and tricep are pretty much okay and his bicep is making steady improvements). I hope your son continues to see improvements as well!

bump for motormonk