United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

so i'm 29 bilateral erbs hands are pretty much ok but both arms are limited the left being worse.. bla bla bla.. after years of being told to suck it up. i have alot of overuse symptoms. and was lookin for something {who knows}. went to doc he sends me to a physical thearapist. she starts with all these yoga posses that focus on balance{our balance always being suspect}and other trunk oriented exercises to help take some of the stress of how we move our effected parts. it is interesting helps alot on how we move thru space and using the parts that work more often..


a differnt point of view
sorry i have issues
chris

chris, don't worry about your issues, that's what this place is for :0) the overuse stuff is starting to have a bad effect on my good arm, someone suggested yoga to me. i've always been very active and the good arm has muscles on the muscles, but after so many years of being my only usable arm the joints are starting to give up, the shoulder especially. i get carpal tunnel pain, arthritis (the docs warned me that arthritis was inevitable, they also pointed out it's inevitable for a huge proportion of the population whether they have bpi or not-i found that a comfort) and back pain that involves my hips, legs and knees too. yoga at least might address some of the issues without causing more damage. if you get any relief from it please post here, maybe i'll try it too. i'm sick of spending 3 days virtually immobilised every time i hurt the good arm. and i like your heading, taking the focus off the arms is ALWAYS a good thing! take care of yourself :0)

Chris, your therapist is bang on the nail, after posture probs pointed out to me by a chiro and PT i looked around and anything that helps torso posture and tone helps. I got videos of tai chi and yoga stuff but thought it didn't seem aggressive enough to actually work but it does without a doubt, some moves REALLY work that shoulder joint especially. I dont let mates see the yoga vid just the tai chi, martial arts are ok yoga is poncey, apparently! It seems because its hard to hold your arm(s) (im tbpi right side only) out in front (like typing etc) because of shoulder issues, you tend to slump forward a bit and the strain is transferred to your lower back, not good. Its a positive mental step going after self education and treatment instead of just waiting for things to get worse, let us know how you go on and good luck! :O)

http://www.sonic.net/~aumleya/fel.art.tran.head.2.html

forgot about the feldenkrais too, you can move around that site and its very useful info - check it out!

Chris.......

I am 45 and also bilateral, obp ......blah blah blah my right is my worse tho, so we would make a good team in a canoe race is yours a birth or trauma injury?? agree with the posture part...yep!! especially for us who are effected on both sides!!! seems after years of doing our lil contortions to accomplish our every day tasks we strain and stress most parts of our body.

i take a swim aerobics class 2x a week to help relieve said stress and strain and it works very well. since the water acts as your buffer. i have thought about yoga in the past but since i can't lift or bend my arms very well didn't know if it would be benificial??
i would be very interested in knowing how well you (and dave-o) do at this yoga thing??? if i can't do the movements very well do i still get the proper outcome?? just curious.......and yes, i love ANYTHING that takes the focus off our arms........blah blah blah!!! would love to swap notes with you tho............as i've never met another bilateral???

Chris

If you can't go for Aqua therapy find a local pool with a hot tub.. great for stretch muscles...

As for yoga... I did that too!... did not do well with it... It is great if you can so why not try? You have noting to loose by trying and everything to gain..
Ok tina.. bla bla bla....LOL...
I am right bpi but the left is worn out...too many years of misuse and overuse...LOL..

Kath

Im 33 and bilateral. Eighteen months later the injury hasnt stopped causing excruciating pain.I just need to know that Im not alone in the world with this freak injury.E-stem helps a bit.Does anyone have anything that helps them "escape" pain temporarily?

Thanks

So where is that cabin anyway ??

Kelly, as far as the pain goes the first couple of years are the worst by far, hang on in there you've already come a long way. I went back to work 3 months post accident (but i wasn't bilateral) and i found that because my brain was occupied the pain wasn't anywhere near so much of an issue-unless i thought about it....it's the 'pain gate' theory. Otherwise many of us have found that cannabis works too, sounds shocking but the side effects are actually far less damaging than most pain meds...the UK govt are now testing cannabis as pain relief for bpi specifically, (see Hazel's post below re pain relief) so maybe its use will be sanctioned officially and we won't be criminalised for using our pain control. However you deal with it, i hope you get some relief soooooooon :0)