United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi All, Newly dx'ed with a BP injury due to ATV acident 8-1-09. Along wit that, I have a proximal fracture due to humurus. Ortho has repaired a 2 part fracture with a few screws. After 6 wks of physio. he finaly figured something else was wrong. Up to this point he had numerous xrays taken and a couple of ct's. The ct was to find the floating peice he left alone. Any way, I had full muscle mass in my shoulder until after the surgery, 8-07-09. Muscle atrophy has now taken the deltoid muscle. An EMG shows a BPI. I can't raise my left arm to the side or rotate it out. I also found out I had a rotocuff tear. I have all feeling in my arm, I can move all my fingers and raise my fore arm. I was sent to a hand speacialist, has refered me to BP speaialist in Dallas Texas, but can't see until Dec. MY job has just released me on a short term disability leave for 90 days and I'm driving myself crazy. Physically I feel good, no pain unless I'm to active. This leads me to beleive my injury is not so bad or is really bad. Has anyone have a simmilar symptoms?

Hello, glad to hear you have no real pain to speak of. Pain seems to be a major issue for a lot of people with a BPI. As far as the severity of your injury, any BPI is serious, but I feel your EMG should give you a little insight as to whether or not it is a major BPI or not. Does the EMG show continuity in the nerves to all muscles tested? That may be a question for your neuro. As far as the pain issue, personally I feel no pain is a good thing in terms of the severity of the injury. I too had a serious BPI that pain was never a major concern. I am now 15 months post accident and doing great. Still seeing recovery and feeling very fortunate. Good luck and feel free to ask more questions, there are a lot of informed and experienced people around here.

JJ

Tanks JJ for your feed back, whew, 15 mos? I feel helpless now at 4 mos., with no real feed back from the Docs, all 3. I did call my neoro and kindly asked that he return my call upon reveiwing new MRI done yesterday. But I wont hold my breath. My next appt. isn't till Dec. 1st. Looking at a calendar it doesn't seem long, but feeling good, I wanna function like I used too. Then the rotor cuff, is another issue that wont be discussed until the middle of Dec. I feel like the time i've been sitting idle, I could have spent it recovering. Not that I'm in hurry for the real pain to begin but I'm ready to be like "YOU" in the recovery stage! OH by the way, the EMG showed weak in the deltoid muscle and is not affecting the bicept which he thought was odd. These forums are very informative. Thanks again!!

Thats weird, i thought the same branch of the brachial plexus that worke the front delt worked the bicep. I know that I was affected in both. It's strange, I too thought the doctors were sometimes a bit overly patient. Sometimes there is a need to be slightly patient though. If its an option for you, seek a second opinion, I know I did not do that, but plan to next month after my insurance (pre existing) period is over. You definately want to seek a BPI specialist.

I'm pretty new at this BPI thing, and my appt. wasn't for more than 30 days until the BP speacialist could see me. That same office, by my request, referred me to a nuerologist 2 weeks ago, he ordered the BP mri and cervicle rib mri. He was also stunned at how much muscle activity and strenght I had in all other motion tests. My hand and forearm hasn't been affected as a result from this injury. He thinks it may me a nueroma, blood clot or just scar tissue affecting a branch nerve. This would be the best case scenario and would require being scraped or hemotomas removed. He mentioned an mri will tell. But the emg did show damage in the deltoid muscle. He was kind of hesitant to add anything else because of the rotator cuff tear. I meet with both of these guys in Dallas on Dec. 1st. and 2nd. If things don't seem to be progressing by their opinion, yes I will be heading to Houston for another opinion. I just don't know yet, it's driving me nutts!!

Yeah this injury will definately drive you nuts. Good luck with your appointments. Give us an update afterward.

As suspected, I suffered a stretched axillary nerve and a couple of others. The Doc seems to see a small improvemant in deltoid ans susperantius (?) muscles. Comparing an emg to a physical exam that he performed. (IDK) He feels the muscles firing and thiks it just needs a little time to heal, although I don't feel any change in mobility or function. I'm gonna be optimistic in his findings. I also saw a neurologist and agreed that surgery wasn't going to be necessary. BP mri revealed inflamation or fluid build up near the nerves and will start a steroid treatment and see if it helps at all. But atleast now we can move on to the rotator cuff surgery and start that repair, I'm so ready to make progress. I was also told inflamation from rotator cuff surgery could worsen the BP injury and set me back somewhat. Does all this feasable, to you guys with this type of injury? I appreaciate any and all feedback!

Seems reasonable based on what you've said. I have always been skeptical of them feeling the shoulder to see if its firing, but if they copared that to the EMG, it's logical. The inflamation pressing on the nerve seems like what they are attributing the BPI to, seems like that would be gone by now though? If I were you, I would expect it to be a reasonably long road to regain the muscle, and probably a lot of phys. therapy but you should definately be seeing progress, however small by 6 months, its been 4 right? I have a hard time seeing what the docs say as fact, as its often just an opinion based on their knowledge of the subject and the resources they may have at hand. A different doctor may or may not have a different opinion. Second opinions cant hurt.

I had a motorcycle accident May of 08. I did have the nerve transfer done by Dr. Li of Wake Forest Univ. in Oct of 08. It has been a year plus since the surgery and I am just now beginning to get shoulder movement. If I have learned anything through this injury, it is that I have to be patient...nerves simply do not grow and repair but so fast. I am by nature extremely impatient, so thus, it has been a challenge. I wish you the best. I wished I had found this forum back in the earlier days of my injury. Keep that chin up.