United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hi. I have read posts from parents about there young childrens balance not being too good and asking if it was related to BPI.

Well I notice that i am constantly bashing my shoulder off of doors or walls. I never fall but sometimes trip(I blame it on the pavement slabs!) i manage to regain my balance but i dont seem to have great balance. Also i dont walk in a straight line! I begin to walk ppl off of the pavement!

Does anyone else find that they do this? lol or am i jst still acting like a 5yr old!

Michelle x

Hi michelle, as you know, I'm tbpi not obpi, but I have the same thing, my bpi arm often gets covered in bruises from those door frames that jump at me and I'm always walking into people and knocking over toddlers with my arm lol! In my case I think it's because I can't feel the arm so don't know it's hitting something, and I have no perception of where my arm actually is unless I look at it-my balance isn't too great either but the horse riding has really helped with that. I think most bpi people have these issues, anyone who doesn't out there?

OH MIchelle !!!!
My Gavin does exactly the same things with the door frame and I NEVER knew anyone else who did that!!!
he is very clumsy too - guess you are both alike huh!
thanks for making me feel better about his little habit!
Karen

I do the same thing. All this time I thought I was just clumsy. Don't you think it is because we are not balanced on both sides. There has to be a dfferent weight distribution. I am missing a shoulder and a wrist bone-for example-not missing-underdeveloped. That has to make a difference. And I don't know about the rest of you,but i also have scoliosis.
By the way, went back to work part time and vocational rehabilitation is getting me training on voice activated software. It is way cool!!! Pat

I am still in PT from the last doorway that jumped out and caught my elbow!!!!! 19 visits and 10 more to go.... I really banged my self this time I was in a rush ....

I have always hit my elbow on something and never thought it was balance... I always knew it was my elbow...but did not realize that it was because I lacked body boundary on that side until I started talking to other bpi.... I am not aware that my arm sticks out or that I am poking something or someone with it... I learned to say "pardon me and excuse me" very early in life...

Michelle when I walk I always put people on my left side... I am right obpi and I run them right off the path.... That really helps and keep you from poking people... I have a few friends who just move to my left because they know they will not be able to walk with me if they don't.... LOL... it took me years to train them...LOL...

Pat so glad you are back at work.... I am sure this had made you very happy...

Jenny I can feel the door way the minute I hit it... darn it!... this last wack was a big deal... threw out the unaffected side so bad... usually I would lead through doorways with rbpi side but I forget if rushing...

Michelle... we all talked a while back about holding things in our hands and not remembering they were there do you do it too?????

Like a tissue, a paper, a pen actually I just keep stuffing things under my arm too...

Kath

LOL how funny is it that we all bang into stuff!

Karen...Gavin is normal! I thot it was only young children that done it! lol not like 16yrs old!

Kathleen! I remember a post about that! I do it alot with bobbles and run daft lookin for them and they have been in my hand all the time!

Its jst all weird!

Michelle

There's a word for not being aware of one's extremities and with all my Greek and Latin background you'd think I could remember it but I can't. Anyway, besides all the reasons everyone else has mentioned including balance and assymetry, there's this extremity unawareness thing. I'm always, always bumping my bpi arm into the wall. It is always black and blue. And crowds make me crazy, I just don't seem to know where my arm is, if that makes any sense.

Nancy

I have fallen due to all of the above and have the scars on my legs to prove it!

I've also noticed the "extremity unawareness" issue that Nancy just mentioned. Not only do I bang my obpi arm into things, I also bang that whole side of my body much more often.

-Stephanie

I notice this with my 4 year old son. I will tell you that it was just recently I realized what an issue it was, you see, I always hold his right(affected hand) just a habit and until he started preschool and the teachers noticed, I never realized what an issue it was, all of a sudden wham !!! he bangs into the door jam. It is funny but it's not !!!

Brittney runs me off the path many times and I try to stay on her left side when I remember to. I feel bad sometimes because we'll be walking together and I'll end up getting aggravated with her and say, "Would you quit running in to me?" and then I can tell by her look that she really didn't realize or mean to and I feel awful for snapping at her.... this happened the other day and then she turned and purposely (kiddingly) nudged me off of her side - so I nudged her right back - - and then we were elbowing and shoving eachother and the fight was on!! We were both laughing....it was funny. Anyway - sometimes I gripe at her before I think and then I feel awful because I know she doesn't realize she's doing it - it's more of a reflex on my part I guess that I'm being bumped in to. I've heard her friends say stuff like - "scoot over would ya Brittney??" many times to her because she will 'take her half out of the middle' and not realize it. She'll tell them something like "Y'all just get back!" That seems to work for her!:)

With falling though it's sort of strange. She does fall pretty often or she cuts corners too soon and run in to walls - when she's not giving much thought to walking...... but when she's playing sports/running she seems to have really good balance. Not sure why. She'll make a great soccer play during the game and we'll all be cheering and clapping and then she'll turn around to walk off of the field and trip and fall flat down - then we all go oohhh......she's down... then she pops back up and says I'm OK! and then we clap again.......
I'm rambling tonight - sorry,
Christy