United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I'm just curious how many kids' dominant side is their injured side? Sarah's definitely going to be right side dominant which is her injured side.

This brings up a debate in my head! On one hand, I think it's good... It will force her (maybe) to strengthen that side even more. Get her therapy in on her own as she's picking up more things with that arm, stretching it, etc. But, on the other hand, her left side is much more capable of doing most things. She wouldn't have to struggle so much.

Our OT has talked about working on switching dominance to her left side, but I'm not sure if this would be beneficial or not!

Any suggestions? Anyone have experiences with this?

Thanks so much!
Cherie

Well, Cherie, all I can do is shed light on this from the other side. Perhaps it will help.

There has been some question as to which side would have been Juliana's dominant side. For the lawsuit, they considered her injury to her non-dominant side. However, the ots and pts who have worked with her have often disagreed with that diagnosis. That being said, she is now dominant with her right hand. She does everything right-handed. She writes with it, plays with it, eats with it. If it were up to her, she would do NOTHING with her left hand and arm. When she plays, her left arm hangs. Dr. Nath has commented to me that her recovery would be even better than it is if she were more dominant on the left side. If she were more dominant on that side, she would have more natural effort to use it.

How does this help you??? Well, it might not. If Sarah is inclined to learn to use that hand, why not let her. If she can learn to write using the "natural" side, why not let her? You didn't say how old she is, but some of this will shake out as the kids get older.

I will admit to you that Juliana's handwriting definately shows some of the handedness mixups, but we are working them out. She is also only 4 1/2 and she has a long time to work them out.

I believe Kathleen had to learn to write with her affected hand.

Perhaps some of our adult obpi could come in on this one. Were you switched or did you learn on the affected side. I think this is an interesting question.

Good luck,
claudia

Cherie,

My daughter's injured right side is her dominant side. She is 3 yrs old and we are waiting to see what will come back. I think it does help her to be more aware of her arm and try to use it; although she gets very frustrated too. Her OT said that she will probably be ambidextrious(sp?) and will have to decide what tasks she can do with what hand. Her left hand is weak since that is her non-dominant hand, so we will have to work on strengthening that hand too.

I am right obpi. I was reading and writing a bit before I started school. In school they would not allow me to write left-handed. So began one of the greatest ordeals for a small child. I did not have much use of my hand at 5 it was very weak. I was forced to write with an injured hand that cramped and hurt and what a horrible handwriting... I had to work so hard to learn to write!!!! I also stopped reading in first grade because of it.

I believe I was supposed to be a lefty. But, I was forced to do things with my right hand because the world is right handed. As a result of being switched I developed small motor coordination in both hands. Once an eye doctor said that my dominate eye showed that I was a lefty. My Mom said it was because of the injury. I have Horner’s my eye was affected how can they really tell?

I come from a family of really great spellers and math people and I am a poor speller. That haunts and intimidates me to this day. I believe it comes from being switched from left to right handed, but will I ever really know? It could also be due to the lack of connection to the brain because of the lack of nerves sending signal between the brain and hand ( just my guess) I have many left handed people in my family. I am not sure what I was supposed to be.

I had small motor coordination in both hands. I write and paint right handed - put on make-up left handed and contact lenses one handed because I cannot get my robpi hand to my face. I sew with either hand
I can paint on pottery with either hand. Each hand has assigned tasks because I was trained to use both. I iron right handed, cut right handed and can cut left handed (no left handed scissors when I was young)
Both hands take turns painting, sewing I don't know which to use so I use either one and when one hand is tired I use the other... When I was young each hand had assigned tasks... mother enforced

One very strange thing I noticed a few years ago. I taught in an after-school program and I had to use the blackboard without thinking I picked up the caulk and began to write with my left hand – and the handwriting was the same as right handed. I cannot write with my left hand on paper.

This is a topic I am sure needs tons of research because if we switch dominate hands it most certainly has other educational issues. I feel because of this switch I may have gotten a better balance on the way I use my right arm. If it does not have a pre assigned task I just let it hang... I notice the other day at a family affair I hug with only one arm and most people use two...
Kath

go for both arms/hands! Do as much as you can with the right and make sure she is able to use the left--ambidextrious!

Peggy

iI have posted this before but it was ages ago http://www.linkshaender-beratung.de/english/Problem.htm it contains a list of issues that may arise when someone is forced to use their non dominant hand, especially for writing.
I have read that the baby's brain is not hard wired and that if something happens to cause a change of handedness from birth, then dominance just changes. I am not sure about this myself, probably you parents would be able to answer that one a lot better than a doctor could. But I do know that if something happens once handedness is firmly established, nothing can change it. I was right handed til I was 21, then I got my tbpi. I have not had any movement or sensation from my right hand in over 24 years, I do every single thing in my day with my left hand but I am not and will never be left handed, my brain puts my right hand out first when I fall and always will. Of course, nothing happens when it does.....so then I have to stick out lefty real quick or I'm on my face!
Because I have a 'before bpi' and an 'after bpi' to compare, I KNOW that it has affected me in many, many ways, not just the practicality of everyday life but mood, speech and thought processes too.
I think Peggy is on the right track, use both if you can!

Thanks Jenny
I have never seen this paper before... but I see myself in it.

Kath

Cherie,

I know Francine was doing extensive research on this topic just a few weeks ago. You may want to contact her and see what she was able to discover francine@injurednewborn.com. She also has a message board on her site, so you could also try posting the question there.

Good Luck,
Michelle

Cherie

The paper jenny posted is quite interesting the more I read it the more I can understand some of the challenges I faced as a child. if a child was to be right handed and that hand is affected the signals to the brain are interupted.
Just the same as they are when it comes to simple touch and pain, hot, cold... Dr. Belzberg explained this at his pain session at camp UBPN this past summer...
very interesting study.

Kath

My son 12 years is dominant in his robpi we let him learn writing right handed . He has difficulty writing fast enough, neat enough and accurately. He can spell verbally and on the computer way better than when handwriting I don't know that training him left would have helped much because of the right /left dominant issues . Writing is slow and exhausting for him much like is described in the articles in switching handedness - he has some lack of connection between that hand and the brain and I wished we had worked on and been shown what and how to do therapy to reconnect the brain and injured arm - we were not. I feel it was good to use his hand as much as he could and now that he can type school will get alot better for him as he will use a lap top starting in grade 8. I spent alot of time "cheating for him" in the early years beacause I knew he understood and could do stuff in his head just putting it on paper was the problem - so if he had a writing assignment I would write half of it out for him - what he dictated- so he could get credit for what he knew not just how good he could physically write. It was hard on him though and I had to be a strong advocate for him once he went to school _-(he went in grade four and I homeschooled him until then)