United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I thought I read something about this before, but I can't remember when. My son keeps biting his BP arm. I asked him why he was doing this (he's 3) and he didn't say why. I asked if it hurt him and he said no. Why do they do this? He's biting it really hard. I have to keep holding his hand so he won't bite it. Any suggestions?

apparently they do this because it has a funny feeling. something like when your foot falls asleep.its a good thing,but you have to be careful because they may bite it too much and break the skin like my son did.
my son is way younger and i just put a sock over his hand and pinned it to his sleeve. i did this when he went down for a nap .he would wake up and i wouldnt know he was awake.he would chew his hand pretty bad. i had to keep it clean and put poly/neo sporin on it.
if you decide to place a sock over his hand you have to place it in such a way he is able to use his arm when he wants to.
some people have suggested placing a non-toxic substance.i think its the one you use to stop nail biting. i didnt do this because i didnt want him to totally reject his injured arm. its hard because you want them to pay attention and to use their injured arm as much as possible but not to much that they are injuring themselves....good luck!

albita

I can describe what it felt like for me.
It is an internal itching, not an itching on the surface of the skin but deeper. It usually means a return of sensation and hopefully means that the muscles are being newly innervated.

In my case, it was not constant, would happen for a day and then stop and then return again a few days later. You don't even realize that you are chewing on your hand.

Nancy

There is some stimulis/massage that is beneficial I found for my daughter, distraction is good also when they are little, this is a good sign that nerves are growing though our surgeon told us.

Tammie, This is also a great time to be working with your son on sensory experiences. Gentle massage with various materials (soft scrub brush, loofa sponge, wash cloths, etc) will help to encourage your son to "listen" to his arm telling him that it is waking up. I like to take advantage of this time by providing the children with as much sensory exploration as possible. Hiding things in beans and seeds and having them find them with their involved hand; using foamy soaps in the bath tub to "wash the walls" with their involved side; and play guessing games about what toy is hiding in a box (they can't use their vision to help, only their hand). Taking advantage of this return of sensation helps to educate your child not only about their arm and what they can feel, but about protecting their arm by understanding that they need to use their eyes to help that arm "feel". Sometimes kids bite their involved side to stop the "tingling" sensations as they can be very intense and biting "gates" the pain to another nerve track. It can be very confusing for younger children, but helping them to learn another strategy besides biting will be most beneficial in the long run. Best to you and your child. Lucretia

Hazel bites her arm for sensory input. We were very watchful until we felt she understood what "too hard" was. We accepted it as a natural form of self therapy and even incorporate it into play therapy. Hazel LOVES when we play monster and we lovingly bite her arm and ROAR! I think she feels it as a tickly tingle. I imagine that the more the emerging nerves are stimulated, the faster and stronger they grow. We gave Hazel (3) the big girl tasks of washing her hands and putting lotion on to keep what the mom-next-door might view as a "bad-habit" from imposing on her health. We also had great success in providing suitable times and situations for the behavior, ie. aquatherapy, tub, sink play, meals at home, etc. These self therapy opportunities encourage growth in her independence, self-worth, body awareness, and understanding/acceptance of self. I hope this behavior goes well for your son. I know I was very scared and anxious when Hazel first started biting. She did hurt herself a little two times, and I was a wreck. But it turned into a great part of our family fun, and excellent therapy for all!