United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi there, am new to the board (just found it tonight) and wondered if anyone had any advice for me.

I live in the UK and this time last year I was in a car accident in which I suffered severe whiplash. The whiplash cleared up after 5 days and I felt fine. I went back to work after Xmas (I worked with disabled children) and within 5 days my shoulder, neck and back had gone into complete spasm. From that day forth I have had major pain in my right arm (I'm right handed) with loss of feeling, tingling, coldness, shooting pains and muscle spasm. My back has also been going into spasm cos of the way I am holding myself to compensate for my arm (I constantly feel like I need to raise it towards my ear to ease the pain). I have as yet had NO firm diagnosis and NO medical investigations as the NHS is so slow and the guy who hit me (he claimed full responsibility for the accident), his insurance company have only just agreed to pay for private health care. I had some physio but it just seemed to make me worse!!!

What I wanted to know is has anyone tried a chiropractor/osteopath or acupuncture? A year after the accident is there going to be anything they can do? Is there anything else I could dothat could relieve my pain (am on painkillers, analgisics, spasmodics- all make me drowsy)?

Basically looking for some hope!

Thanks, Paula

Hi Paula and welcome. I'm a Brit too but now living in New Zealand. I don't know much about whiplash, or if your injury is bpi related, it does sound that way. Even if it isn't, you need to see someone other than a gp, so time to kick some backside I think! I don't know where in the UK you are, the main bpi specialists are Rolfe Birch's team at Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, London, and Simon Kay's team at Jimmy's in Leeds. Rolfe Birch accepts patients referred from an ortho specialist or sometimes from GP referral, and you sometimes have to be quite lairy to get them to refer you! The first step would be to ask yr gp to refer you to the ortho surgeon at your local hospital and take it from there. If the ortho agrees that your brachial plexus is somehow involved you may get a referral that way, after diagnostic tests such as EMG etc. I don't know how Simon Kay gets his referrals but I think he does private as well as NHS work, (Rolfe Birch doesn't) so that might be an option. Be persistent! It's your right to get treatment...
Some of us from the UK formed a support group there with its own website and message boards, try posting here http://pub28.ezboard.com/badultswithbra ... usinjuries there are quite a few other bpi specialists in the UK and someone might know of one nearer you.
Hope this helps, good luck! :0)