United Brachial Plexus Network

A few of us who have had (or with loved ones who have had) the nerve transfer or tricep to deltoid have been sharing notes so I though I would post a little update from my husband's trip to Mayo last week. He is currently 1.5 years post surgery and a little over 2 years post accident. When we went out a year ago, he had an EMG that showed the early stages of innervation in the deltoid.

He did not have an EMG this time, instead they repeated the strength and movement study he had performed prior to surgery. The research team that conducted the study were really encouraged....he now has "numbers" in his deltoid that were zero prior to his surgery, and all other muscles have at least tripled in strength on their own.

One of the other things they do is measure how the muscle is responding to the nerve message....from what he understood an injured muscle will respond in sort of a bell shaped curve, where as an uninjured muscle will spike quickly and then maintain (I've really simplified that explanation, but I hope I've got it right) At any rate, his deltoid was responding with the quick spike and maintaining, which is good and they said indicates continued improvement over the next few years

The afternoon appointment with the actual BPI team was more of a mixed bag. They were surprised that couldn't yet raise his arm and weren't as encouraged by the strength he has back. It was a quick meeting though and my husband didn't get the clarify some of the discrepencies from the morning appointment, so were going to call back this week and ask a few more questions. At any rate, they floated the potentional for a tendon transfer when we go back in one year.

So, some positives and negatives, but overall my husband is feeling really good about it. He can feel how much his strength has improved and is just going to keep working at it. At this point, he isn't up for any more surgeries, he has really figured out how to do so much on his own that he's at peace with where he is right now. And I can't aruge with that, but it is nice not to have such a time crunch for surgical decisions now.

Anyway, long update, but I know I'm always interested to read the progression of others who had the same surgery.

My best to you all-Amanda

Amanda,
I don't think I was one of the one's sharing notes but I wouldn't mind if you'd keep me posted on your husbands progress. I am also 1.5 years post surgery / 2 years post accident (9/23/07). And I had forearm to bicep and tricep to delt surgeries.

My bicep had returned a great deal before I broke my arm again in April. Now I am doing a little rehab to recover from that but the bicep is strong, probably as good as one could possibly get from that type of surgery. Deltoid is negligible if anything. Thats why I'm curious about his results.

I have never had another EMG since the surgery. The doc said that I would see some results just in reinflation of the muscle and he felt my delt while I tried to move it. And the end. I can't raise my arm either, but I can lift it almost 90% forward. The doc says that is because of the bicep and other muscles.

I've thought about the tendon/muscle transfers but I am the same, I just don't really want to go through anymore surgeries. You learn to live with what you've got, accept it and find ways to do what you need to do. I agree with the being at peace with it. I never thought about that til now, but I guess to some degree I am too. I still try to stretch and lift little things daily in hope though, plus that takes a little atrophy pain away.

I will say that occasionally I feel like I get a little eletrical jolt or a flitter, especially at night laying in bed. It always gives me a glimmer of hope.