United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I wore one when I was 2,At night it was torture.Looks like I need Help ,What was the bennift was gained for the brace and what in the long term affect. I just dont understand it didnt help me did it help you? What did help was a lite weight I cared in my left hand,a ball in my hand,a activite.thats what help me not my Mom holding me till I fell asleep because of the pain that brace gave me That lasted till I was 7 Im sure you understand you lived like that and how could I ever say whos trying there best for a child. that a brace is a good idea?

The only time I've ever worn a brace was when I played football, for safety reasons.
Tom is right about the ball, I used carried a ball in my hand,I always said it was to keeb my finger nails from digging into my palm, but the squeezing is what made my hand stronger.

What precisely do you mean by a brace? I wore a cast-type brace that covered my arm from wrist to shoulder and removable sometimes when I was younger, and I think that if I had kept wearing one periodically since then, my arm would be straighter than it is. Right now, my arm is visibly (to me) shorter than my non-bpi arm and I don't think I'll ever get my elbow completely straight.
Hope that helps...

Lindsey

I wore a brace for 11 months. I started at about a month old. The only time they took it off was for massage therapy and range of motion and bath...
I wore it 24 hours a day 7 days a week...

I had no real movement until almost a year old ...

It was soft velvet with steel and leather and it wrapped around my middle and held my hand up with my elbow out and palm facing my ear and my hand was strapped to it to keep it open... It look so terrible and I only threw it out a few years ago before finding ubpn... now I am sorry I did...

I think that and weight bearing really helped me.

Kath

That was my brace to for 5yrs a form of traction I guess but my arm never got better and your right with or out the brace.We have the same problem but I felt for me that streaching the arm,putting a light weight in my hand youing a ball. help me more than the torture of that brace. I also know how the arm stays bent my arm is shorter and my hand is smaller.But my will is sronger to over come what I can and dont focus or think about things I cant do.Just remeber that you do the best you can so Please dont think your choise about that brace was wrong it was the best thing I and you could do.Right or wrong just keep streach that arm .God bless

Thanks I didnt belive that brace was still around I just dont know why. Im so happy you playing Football is Great.I just want to encouage poeple with erbs to do what ever they can do and not think about what they cant.Im a Master Scuba diver and I drive a Semi.And I can see you have that same determiation like me..Stay strong and Hopfully we can share that power.

Children now wear splints and braces for a multitude of reasons....

when they are infants the wrist splints help get their wrists out of the waiter's tip and into a neutral position

when they are older splints help give the arm support for weight bearing

splints help bring the fingers and thumb into a more neutral position

dynamic (spring loaded) braces put low level tension into the elbow so that biceps contractures stretch out

supinator straps give a light stretch to the supinators

http://www.injurednewborn.com/maia/splints.html
here's a whole page about them....

if used correctly they can be invaluable

-francine

My left arm is bent to and I wore that brace for 5yrs it didnt change the bend.Light weight,streaching,a ball.The brace to me was traction which didnt change any thing waring that brace was so painfull when I was little that why my Mom took it off The pain was pulling the muscles and tissue way to far That was the pain.So really which chose was right I just know a Little kid or baby cant explain the over extention of the museles but they can cry.

Thank you for explain it to me.I wore a brace 50yrs ago and the word tenson is what I dont get how can a baby or little kid like when I was a kid that the tenson pulls to hard on the musles I also undersand no pain no gain,Maybe the brace was to tight,was put on to a extreame I dont know.Is the braces to exact measurement.Do kids still still cry when its on because of the tenson is pulling the musles to far.Im not downing the Idea of the brace its been around for atleast 50yrs.I just wish there was something else could of been found.I do Thank you ..

Seems like a brace was the treatment protocol years ago and is still being used now. I wore a brace starting at about 4 months. I don't know for how long. It was removed for therapy, baths, and photographs. My Mother says I didn't like it much but I can't remember anything about it.

John P.