United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

AS SOME OF YOU KNOW I JUST RECENTLY HAD NERVE TRANSFER SURGERY TO RESTORE ELBOW FLEXION BUT IM WONDERING WITH MY ARM HANGING FROM MY SHOULDER SOCKET (SUBLUXATION?) IF THE SURGERY IS SUCCESSFUL HOW WILL MY SHOULDER SITUATION EFFECT MY ARM MOVEMENT?..THANKS

Hey, I bumped the topic with the videos I posted from my surgeries at mayo, the most major one being the muscle and tendon transfers I had for the shoulder subluxation. This way you can see the before and after from a non-working, severely subxluated shouldar, to a working shoulder that's in the right position, and I also explain the differences too.
Hopefully that will give you a general idea of how the subluxated shoulder can effect the arm. It's hard so say anything specific because it's different for everyone. Some are very severe and painful, while others have less subluxation and pain, and varying degrees of shoulder movement.
There are some people on the site who either make and/or can hook you up with excellent slings that can hold your arm/shoulder in place while you are more active.

Hope this helps
Ang

ArmStrong,
when i had my evaluation dr mackinnon suggested that i have the shoulder fused to give stabalization as my deltoids are apparently gone and not coming back. she felt that a transfer of part of the trapazoid on the right side would possibly give me the ability to move the shoulder some. my understanding was if i also wanted to do the transfer to get my elbow back i needed to have the shoulder fusion/trapazoid transfer since the shoulder without that work would not support any weight at all. it came down to rebuilding the whole right side in my situation. currently, i'm looking into amputation. hopefully i can hold out for 2 years. i got my disability award and medicare kicks in after 2 years. i'm thinking that may help pay for the amp. maybe i can then get a prosthetic that will lock well enough to my body with a grip for the throttle. just kidding, man. hope you ride again though. good luck.

THANKS,
WOAH DJK YOUR THINKING ABOUT AMPUTATION ALREADY? WELL I GUESS I'VE BEEN SOMEWHAT IN DENIAL BUT AFTER COMING FROM THE DOCTOR TODAY HE TOLD ME THEY WERE ONLY ABLE TO TRANSFER ONE NERVE TO MY BICEP SO IT SEEMS LIKE NO MATTER WHAT PROCEDURES I HAVE IT WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH TO REALLY GET THE ARM BACK,SO LATELY I'VE BEEN THINKING HOW USEFUL WILL MY ARM EVER REALLY BE? I WAS KIND OF OPTOMISTIC BEFORE THE SURGERY THINKING WELL IF I GET MY BICEP MOVING MAYBE SOME OTHER THINGS WILL KICK IN BUT IT SEEMS LIKE UNLESS YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE RARE CASES WHERE YOUR FUNCTION STARTS RETURNING OR YOU GET ENOUGH OPERATIONS DONE TO WHERE YOUR ARM IS SALVAGABLE AND DOES ACTUALLY HELP...IT'S PRETTY MUCH OVER...I THINK I'M GETTING DEPRESSED ALL OVER AGAIN...NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SUMMER AT ALL...NO MORE TANK TOPS...WELL THANKS GUYS FOR THE FEED BACK...TAKE CARE AND BEST WISHES.

What??????,
Lets talk,
Years ago hear I saw a post like this, OK DOC just whack of my arm How about tell me one thing you might try to do that would be fun this summer, Really you did not fall of a cliff you were buried by Rock There is a way out! Dont feed your . Enough , If you do not fix your injuries in so much time it will WASTE away why not just have it cut off Lets work on something you might want to adapt to this summer Let see how we can help, I ve seen hear over time really GREAT things people can do in spite of there limitations. Give it a try dont feed the you will grow by what you try I will be right hear and so are SO MANY hear to TRY to help???

The Biggest thing to me is how doc tell you the time limit before your arm waste away !! IN SOME CASES, NOT ME!,MAYBE OTHERS , I am sure it happen in some BPI , Who knows REALLY Dont get me wrong GET it FIX now. Treatment change , I came from a world of a Doctor telling my MOM there was nothing for me no treatment , NO NOTHING ,BIG I was 10, I over my life time never had surgeries or ETC. Just Live life ALL MOST one armed and using my ERB side best I could in life, I think I adapted in time to have a Life, Somethings, I never could find a way to do.SO What, my mosters come out when CANT DO is real!!! It is a positive / Negative THING. If you find you cant find a way to do more for your injury than focus on what will help the pain That is a emotional issue To!!!! You need peace and direction that and HELP< I hear YOU Some times I wonder if I explain thing right I hope this helps??????

God Bless!
Tom

do not misunderstand me. my injury is severe according to the evaluation i had. your injury may not be at the same level. each of us has different, though similar, issues. now, could the drs opinion on spontaneous recovery not happening be wrong? yes. will the spontaneous recovery manifest itself, if it is to happen, over the next two years? yes. so if it does come back, great! i will be loving it. if it does not happen then what? my choice at that point will be to live with a non-functional arm or live without it. i said i was looking at amputation and i meant in the event there is no meaningful spontaneous recovery. all the surgical options are fascinating to me. but i'm uninsured and i can not spend my retirement monies on expensive surgeries. i do not qualify for medicare due to assets. i also do not qualify for financial assistance at the hospital for the same reason. i will qualify for medicare in 2 years but at that point surgical repair options are most likely going to be very limited if at all. so what do i do? i begin exploring other options. this is my reality. i'm not saying it is anyone elses reality. i wish everyone the best at whatever you decide. most importantly stay as positive on your whole life as you can each day, do not let the injury define you. good luck, everyone.

When did you have the nerve transfer surgery? I see from your profile your accident was only in September. My accident was in June 2008 and nerve transfer in November 2008. I didn't see any results from the surgery until September 2009, 10 months after the surgery which was right on schedule according to my doctors. If your surgery was only a few months ago don't give up hope. It does take some time to see results. I wish you well and keep your chin up and give things time to heal.

That what I am talking about, DIRECTION, The more we can answer the more we can keep the NEGITIVE force of CANT do and the POSITIVE FORCE of Trying, !!!! You do it by how you gust did

Over my life time I did learn to over come a number of thing that I could not find away to do my . to me were my best trys. When I was little I tought it was so neat Pirate were awsome because HOOKS never stop them in a storm on a ship at sea , So positive

BEST TRYS
Tom

I HEAR YOU,I GUESS WE ALL HAVE TO FACE OUR OWN REALITY SOONER OR LATER,IT'S JUST REALLY FRUSTRATING TO KNOW THAT THERES REALLY NO FIX FOR THIS INJURY,THEY CAN TRANSPLANT A HEART BUT THEY CAN'T FIX THIS ARM?! LOL....WELL I GUESS IT IS WHAT IT IS.

I am proud of you , My life with limitation did not come with treatment in my hole life. Fact, there are many treatments today by fact, but choosing and finding the right one that will help and true knowledge of what to expect is the problem. Fact new-Treatment happen in time, I have seen it over 60 years its Fact its not wishful thinking FOR SURE!!!!!

Best wishes and FACTS,
Tom