United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I can't find a Dr. where I live that is familiar with TBPI. Most of the help/support I have received has thankfully come from all of you. For the most part I have the day-to-day tasks mastered. I do have 1 question though, what sling do you guys use for flail arm? Not a sports one, just wander around the house, shopping, work, etc.

I have read by post that some want to ware a sling all the time because of a free swinging arm But by slinging a arm all the time you stop the swing but it does nothing to help circulation or increasing strengthening what you can. There is a trick I learn to help both from when I was little with birth erbs. Ok, its squeezing a ball to gain strength , But the second thing is as you can squeeze a ball it put tension in the arm and swing less because of it I started with very little grasp and a swinging arm to . squeezing a ball will increase grasp,to
There are many good reasons to ware a sling for rest or in running,etc. But if you sling the arm all the time you miss the opportunity to strengthen ,what you can and increase circulation. The ball idea really came from Therapy from Easter Seals in the 50s. It really helps my hole life Life without treatment or surgeries Just a bag of tricks that work for me
Tom

Thanks for the reply Tom. Unfortunately I have no movement or feeling in my hand. Actually I have no movement or feeling from my bicep down. C5 is to badly damaged so I have no shoulder control. My shoulder is therefore dislocated. Just letting it free swing is painful. At some point I will be having it fused but in the meantime I need to keep it in a sling when I am up moving around.

Lisa

Hi Lisa,
I cant talk about treatment or surgeries, There are so many things and choices to out there and they will change over time. When I was injured with birth erbs the doctor broke my scapula and fractured my elbow and nothing got fix . Our injuries are not the same but dislocated shoulder and a hand which is still pretty dead in felling and the best I could ever do is gain a good grasp. I will be happy when you can get out of a sling and find away to get more treatment for your hand.
It just tears me up when people are in despair without a true direction for treatment. That is the way I was left with no hope for any treatment or surgery at 10. For now like others here is to try to reach out the best way we can, that is all we can try to do. But yet some injuries we can hopefully give advice that works The Great news ,there a true fact is we all care here to post and please let us know how your doing
Hugs,Sorry I could not help.
Tom

I thought about this alot
Then thank God for the next 2 ,new post
Whats real to me is if you are born with these types of injuries , we have gotten past the arm issue and find away to adapt to what were left with???
I did not have a choice standing in front of of room full of Doctors in Chicago at 10 years old, who told my Mom , There was no treatment or surgeries for me, this was the 60s I can only left my arm a few inches and built a simply grasp by , Yes The Ball ( squeezing) I am not going to be redundant of what I could adapt to in life to have one or the fact my good arm got ripe up driving a semi or date get on the back of motorcycle with birth Erbs That COURAGE-!!

Then there is others that Get our forms of injuries later in life and end up in SQ 1!!! A quest to find a doctor in time????

It is a quest, To Find the Doctor in there life time to help!!!
Fact is our brains become our best means to improve our ability to adapt, Our Way Over Time, You see this all the time by our trys Anything that moves us forward is awesome!!!
Your little step to move Forwards is outstanding as the strengthen over time by your gain in your trys!!!
Mr Positive, Only by your effort to get past your TRYS in Time !!! You never Fail by Trying Everything that you can learn to do is AWSOME!!!
Stay positive , IMprove what you Can It will-help your limitation and your SPIRT< By Post and Me There Is fact , Everything that you Try is AWSOME IN my book. EVEN if it does not work out YOU TRYIED!!! I have a life time of it as other do to Everyone start in SQUARE 1
Tom

Hi Lisa,

I dont wear a sling anymore (unless i'm doing something that requires it to be close to my body). I put my hand in my pocket for most of my daily activities etc. I found that a sling hurt my back after awhile. I had one sling custom made in the early days that has Velcro on the front. The straps go over the shoulders and then they cris-cross at the back before coming under the arm to attach to the velcro on the sling. Similar to the one in the link below without the strap around the mid section. I works well but like i said my back started to hurt after awhile but you can undo it when you sitting down or eating which helps. I've found no perfect solution for this, babysitting the arm can certainly get annoying.

Cheers,
Andrew


http://orthobionics.net/detail1.php/Sli ... lizer/2089

Hi Lisa...Jeff here. I'm really sorry to hear of your continuing struggle to find a local BPI treatment expert. As you know, you and I sustained very similar injuries about 2weeks apart. I too avulsed C5 - T1 and have a very flaccid left arm and no hand feeling or movement. I can barely flex my wrist, I can bend my arm at my elbow and my bicep is working better with each passing month. My tricep, pec and deltoid don't work at all, so I've suffered major atrophy to my upper chest and shoulder. My biggest struggle besides my hand not working has been that my shoulder is subluxed (a form of dislocation) and it has been so very painful to try and exercise it to try and stay ahead of the atrophy...i must say that even though the atrophy has continued to a serious level, my physical therapist has worked so hard with me to gain some strength and control in my shoulder that I don't wear a sling anymore at all ( I didn't think I'd be saying that a few months ago!)!

Can I ask if you have any controlled movement in your shoulder (like shrugging or kind of rolling it in circles)? And do you have a physical therapist that you work with on a regular basis ? (I still go to PT 3 times per week plus do exercises at home on off days). I know it hurts real bad but I can't say it enough...you must see a PT and be aggressive at exercising everything that can move, plus have the PT passively move what you can't move.

I really agree with Tom on the fact of keeping the arm loose during the working day if possible so you can "swing" it as much as tolerable. Take walks and get circulation. Passively bend and flex and move as much as possible. Please try to get out of the sling and get some help from a PT to get some exercise and range of motion flexing...its so important even though I know how badly it hurts.

Please try. We are here to help support you...with words of encouragement, prayers and hope. Good luck and best wishes. I'm open to talking by phone if you want...all you have to do is ask.

Jeff

Thank you Jeff. I might just give you a call. I have so many questions that just can't be answered by my dr's. They try and it's been a learning experience for all. It's also been a very frustrating experience.

Lisa

What sling my good arm
Talk about no choice I injured my good arm by caught my fall in 3 fingers falling off my semi after 25 years of driving one. It happen falling backwards into traffic. Good thing I caught my fall other wise I would of been road kill . The affect was Carpel tunnel radial nerve damage and torn deltoid. They put my good arm in a sling , Putting my arm in a sling was use less to do I still needed to use the arm the best I could and just bare the pain I end up finding out by surgery that my deltoid was torn so bad they had to disconnect my deltoid and reattach it Surgery did not help it got torn again , why because I could not leave my arm in a sling I still needed to use it the same day going to toilet and feeding my self. The doctor told me the only way another surgery would work was to have my good arm strap down and be put in a nursing home for month to correct the carpel tunnel , radial nerve damage and a repair again on my deltoid So I never did it, I live with the pain scare tissue and the limitation in my good arm.
I wrote this so when I encourage others to get past there limitation the best you can and adapt by creative thinking you know I practice what I preach to try your best to stay positive in your trys. Good new I got Social security disability without appeal. Day to day I try my best to adapt to my limitation in both arms. Good news in a way I got my training wheels to adapt from my birth erbs to coup with emotional and pain of issues I have now for 6 years. Everyone start in square one and it absolute takes time to adapt but we all should remember what we can adapt and learn to do in spite of the limitation were left with
I share to inspire just like all who post

Mr Positive
Tom

I think my arm splint is still on the Traumatic Brachial plexus injuries/homestead website. I still dont know why more people don't use it as it is the only way I can tolerate and activities whatever and I have a farm and work fulltime.