United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I WAS READING THE SUBJECT ON MYELOGRAMS AND WHAT I READ, I WILL STAY AWAY FROM THAT. I AM SCHEDULED TO GET AN EMG NEXT WEEK. WHAT IS INVOLVED WITH THAT TEST? IS DYE PUT INTO THE SPINE WITH THAT TEST? IT WAS ALSO MENTIONED THAT MRI RESULTS MIGHT NOT ALWAYS BE ACCURATE. IS THAT TRUE? I GOT MY RESULTS BACK FROM MY MRI AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO DAMAGE DONE TO MY BRACHIAL PLEXUS, JUST THAT THE NERVES ARE STRETCHED. I SHOULDN'T SAY "JUST" BECAUSE THIS INJURY DRIVES ME CRAZY AT TIMES. IT GETS SO FRUSTRATING TO ME WHEN I AM OUT IN PUBLIC AND I CAN'T USE MY ARM OR HAND. I AM GETTING REALLY FED UP AT EXPLAINING TO STRANGERS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. ANYHOW, I AM GETTING OFF TRACK, WHAT EXACTLY WILL AN EMG TELL ME? HOW STRETCHED THE NERVES ARE? HOW WELL THE NERVES ARE REGENERATING, IF THEY ARE? AND CAN AN MRI GIVE YOU THE WRONG DIAGNOSIS? THANK YOU. KAREN

Karen,
You are asking very good questions here and I hope that we can help you. I have never had a MRI, maybe initally in the hospital but not recently at aqll. I do believe that they are not very acurate as far as nerves are concerned. I have had EMG, pretty much ever 5 months. My doctor is always looking at the muscles and what they a re doing. To my knowledge, by that you can tell what the nerves are doing, as the nerves feed the muscles. That is my experiece with it. The doctor will attach small electrods in the areas that he wants to test and kind of shock the area, not painful at all! Then come the needles. They get inserted at certain point that the doctor is looking to test. This can be painful but not with MY doctor, he is GREAT about it! The ones in the back of my neck hurt like hell though! It really isnt a bad test! Let us know whta you find out! Good luck!
Courtney

Karen

In your case, I think your MRI is conclusive. Sometimes it's hard to say conclusively that the nerves are avulsed all the way. Like with mine they thought they might be, but without further testing, they couldn't diagnose it. There was no even "might be" with your test, so I wouldn't worry.
The EMG is a nerve test where they actually test the different muscles to see if there is nerve activity detectable. My test was cake, but i have avulsions. I don't know how much touch perception you have on your arm. I can kind of feel down to my elbow. What they do is basically stick a needle in your different muscles. The needle is wired to a machine that detects, electrically, what the ennervation of the muscle is. It might be a little uncomfortable especially if you don't like needles, but if it hurts, that's really good. That means something's going on in that muscle. So this is one of those test that the more pain, almost the better. I really didn't feel anything until up in my neck and around my shoulder a little. It's pretty quick and nothing to loss sleep over. Just close your eyes and remember the concentrate on your breathing if hurts a little. Don't fight the pain but relax into it. It's easier said then done sometimes. My mom gave me these tips because it's what she used for natural child birth, and I'ld bet a lot of money that a little needle in your arm hurts less than a baby head coming out of you know where!You have such better odds at getting your arm back then a lot of us, so keep your chin up and think positive thoughts about your future. You'll be fine with or without one arm, maybe that's why you have two!Take care.
LOVE SUSAN

Thank you both for explaining the EMG and giving me your opinion on my MRI results. I am glad that there isen't any dye going through the spine. Hopefully I will have a lot of pain during this procedure. When I get my arm and hand massaged, I feel a lot of pain. Is that a good sign? I feel I am starting to get more impatient now that I heard the results. If the nerves are stretched, I feel like my arm should be coming along quickly now. It is a mind game now with me. I try so hard to make my fingers move. I stare down at my hand and tell it to move, move and I try so hard my body shakes.....and nothing. I guess when it is ready, I will know. The EMG results will give me more of an idea. Thanks again. Love, Karen

Karen~
My experience with EMG were not too good. I have alot of pain in my arm, below the elbow, and in my hand. I hurts so much if someone even looks at it, it hurts! The MRI will show if your nerves are stretched. I had only one MRI and then surgery to confirm the nerves were avulsed, c5,6,and 7. I had my EMG's done at Mayo and he inserted the needles in 42 different places, not fun but its pretty quick. The dye in your spine is a spinal, I had one of those at Rockford Memorial in Illinois. The did the MRI and spinal to hopefully see my damage w/out having to go in.....but no luck, they went in:(
Mayo Clinic did all my surgeries and tests after that point. Good luck....it'll go quickly and stay clam. And it took me along time to get my hand to work again. My arm never worked but Mayo took care of that so now I can use my working (but painful) hand.
I'll be thinking of you, Karen. Hang in there.
Kath

Hi Kath,

Thank you for your response. You mentioned you had avulsed nerves and you got your hand back? That's great isen't it? I thought with avulsed nerves there wasn't much of a chance in getting movement again. Obviously I am wrong. So with stretched nerves, I have a good chance of getting my arm and hand back? My ortho was a jerk. He told me to wait and see what happens. I wouldn't take that for an answer so I am seeing a BP specialist in Toronto in Dec. for a 2nd opinion. Anyhow, Kath what happened to you? Would you mind telling me? How are you today? How did you get your hand working again? Thanks Kath. Love, Karen

Hi Karen,

As far as I know avulsed nerves cannot come back unless they are operated on. The hand/fingers is C8 and T1 which might have only been stretched in Kaths case. I am only guessing here. If your MRI showed no avulsions its really good as I read somewhere MRI's were very accurate for this sort of thing. Anyhow good luck with your EMG, I did mine, it wasn't really painful.

Karen,
I have avulsed C5&6 and I have hand function as Kath with alot of pain. As was said by Aurelia the different parts of the arm are intervated by different nerves. C8 & T1 perform lower extremety function such as hand and wrist. In my c ase they were just stretched a bit. My hand gets horrible pains and is weak at that but with my sling on it can be somewhat useful at times. I am looking for a picture that would explain the nerves betterl. I will post it in a few! Email me i fyou have any questions!
KATH.... how much function do you have?
Courtney

Karen look at this article on the website. Scroll down towards the bottom of tha page and look at the picture of the arm with the roots on it. There is a good basic picture of the plexus itsel here too! Hope this helps!
http://ubpn.org/awareness/A2002obpi.html
Courtney

Hi Courtney, my name is Ingrid, my brother had an accident 10 years ago and has a BPI in his left arm, they practice a tes in my country (Colombia) 8 years ago and they said is C1, C7 and T1, I am not sure about this test because when we went to ask for copies osf the results they said they lost it. I am so happy that I found this page, and I can talk with adults who had suffered the same injury that my brother have.
Could you please send me some info, like phone number of doctors/hospitals, cost. We live in CT, but we will go anywhere. Is any foundation or organization that help adults with BPI?.
Thank you for your help.
Ingrid