United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

We'd like to know if anyone has had problems with spine due to bpi . Scoliosis, arachnoid cyst and surgery to insert shunt/catheter to drain cyst that could not be removed because of scar tissue. Original bpi at 9 yrs old from car crash and air bag. He is now 16 and recently had spinal surgery. We are now dealing with headaches. Thanks for your input!
Teri

Hi Teri, my son is 11 and recieved his right TBPI from a 4 wheeler accident last year. I have never spoken to anyone with a child with a traumatic injury, mostly they have been the birth injury. I dont know about the spine issue myself but I certainly hope someone could come forward with some information on this or where we can find it. If interested in talking to me, please e mail me at softballmom09@hotmail.com

My problem was a slow leak of spinal fluid that formed a pocket that eventually pushed back on the spine causing nerve damage

19 years after the injury, it was finally diagnosed but not before I had lost some mobility. The surgery was very rare. Mine was apparantly only the 5th time it had been done.

Symptoms were slowly increasing lameness on the same side as the bpi.

take care

Henry

I have a slight scoliosis of the spine mainly due to bad posture though. One physiotherapisr I met told me that she thought I very possibly always had it anyway, but the TBPI made it more pronounced and slightly worse.

My other problem is in the neck; in the accident I broke off several of the little bony bits (spinous processes) of the vertebrae at around C2 thru to C4 This went unnoticed by the medics until I had a sideways on x-ray of the neck and chest a few years later.

I know now that nothing could have been be done to repair them at the time, but it would have been nice to know what was giving me the stiff neck and excruciating pain in it! Even now, 11 years later, I can still feel the lumps and can't turn my head around to the right too far.

I guess the reason for telling you this is that it should be possible to get the whole body checked out, with x-rays and maybe even CT scans following a traumatic injury. It's amazing how many other related health issues come up months or even years later.

Hope everything goes well for your son...all the best

Lizzy B

My TBPI was at the age of 9. 17 years later I have Scoliosis, but no problems with fluid on my spine. The weight of the right arm versus the left arm (and how my body compensates for it) has had a a big impact on the curvature of my spine.

I started Chriropractic care when I was 18 to relieve pressure and back pain. The adjustments offer a good fix when my back gets twisted from lifting, yard work, etc. Give it a try!

My son had a rod put in his spine a year after his accident because of scoliosis/curvature of the spine. The doctor seemed to think he had scoliosis before the accident but I don't think so. It improved his posture somewhat but as long as the one arm hangs down, his posture is going to be affected. He rarely complains about back pain, thankfully. He's also supposed to wear a shoe lift but doesn't. He broke his leg in the accident and it's a good inch shorter than the other.

Hi,

Your son's injury sounds similar to mine. I too had a leg break, compound tib/fib. It was the longest to heal: 6 years. I wear a lift. Other than the spinal fluid leak, I've never had back problems. I exercise a lot so my back and abs are strong. That helps a lot.

Henry