United Brachial Plexus Network

Hi Everyone!! I'm wondering if any of you have advice to offer regarding whether or not theres anything you can do to try & keep the BPI arm somewhat caught up with the other arm? It seems that its becoming an increasingly frustrating issue for my 6 year old cause more than anything at this age she wants to "look like" her peers. I know function is probably more important but to her its normalcy. Any advice or guidance on this matter would be greatly appreciated!!!

Melissa & Ashley

HI,
I don't think I'll be any help. But I was wondering the same thing myself. My son has NO function whatsoever and probably never will. It's not an issue now but I'm sure at some point it will become one. I know our doctor told us about muscle extension and ligament extension surgery. And to do E-stim everyday. I don't know what else can be done.
Jo

Thanks Jo for your response. She's had three surgeries to date & does fairly well. The only problem right now is her hand is still pretty weak but otherwise she incorporates the arm into everything!!! I'm so glad about that too. We have e-stim but its a pretty sensitive machine & the slightest movement of the know can hurt her so as soon as we're going to try & her run that you push the arrow up & down to control the strength. Also I've heard conflicting opinions on whether or not e-stim is worth doing & can possible do more harm than good?? Is there any truth to this?

I meant to say slightest movement of the "knob".

Definitely all the activities you can incorporate with the BPI arm...do (esp. weight bearing).

I was going to suggest looking into e-stim, also. What is the controversy? We have a unit (have had it for years. Emma didn't like it due to her SI issues (even when it was off; she didn't like the electrodes) but now that she is older-- 9 yrs-- I would love for her to give it a try again.

Peggy

We have an E-stim but haven't started using it yet. I was told by many doctors and OT's that it will keep the muscle from becoming atrofied(sp?) As for Nick he has no function, so he will need some type of muscle stimulator.
Jo

hi every one..i was dissapointed to hear that there is no solution about this matter,bcuz i was asking myself the same Q as regard for my sister(4yrs old)..but ,i wanted to ask about the e-stem..just a simple definition and how would be the results !!

thanx alot..
eathar.

TES has been helpful in regrowing atrophied muscle. It's used at night and you can learn about it at www.tascnetwork.net. We used it for years and have measured proof that it worked for our child. It does not cause muscle contraction, it just brings more blood to the area.

What I learned is that in order for the bones to grow correctly, the muscles have to be working. The muscles pump the blood to the bones. So if the muscles don't pump the blood to the bones, then something like TES can help.

The controversy that I recently heard about with the e-stim has been about whether or not NMES (the type that causes muscle contraction) can damage regrowing nerves and also can it damage muscle if it is used on atrophied muscle.

Also another reason why the arm might look shorter (but not be as short as it seems) is how the humerus is positioned in the shoulder joint. This is something that your bpi specialist can assess and may be able to change.

Our Surgeon & therapist recommended E-Stim for Ashley I'm just at the moment looking into the more updated version to give her more control over it. The one we have is outdated (& thankfully given to us by a little boy who didn't need it anymore) & she hates the fact that if the knob even gets knicked slightly she gets zapped badly. I don't blame her. I've heard conflicting info regarding it but I figure everything is conflicting regarding what to do about this injury & treating it so I guess its a matter of taking in all the info & making a choice that works for you & the child. Thanks for all the responses. Your all great.

Unfortunately what promotes bone growth is the tensions caused by the muscles. The best that you can do is too keep your child active in a diversity of day-to-day and PT/OT exercises, and I am a big advocate of massage!

Also a diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D will strengthen bones.

Hope this helps!