United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hello everyone...I haven't been to this site in a long time. I was born with a BP injury in the right arm. I have no functions in my arm or hand. Lately, I've had extreme pain in my left shoulder and the pain travels into my left arm. All this overuse is catching up w/ me and I'm only 26!! Has anyone had to have surgery on their non-affected arm? Any related stories you could share? I see a chiropractor once a month, but lately, I've had to go more often and even that isn't helping much. Your input would be much appreciated! Sincerely, Erica

Hi Erica

I responded to you on the Adult/OBPI message board.
Kath

I don't have a BP injury but a few weeks ago I was having tremendous pain in my neck and shoulder, and my arm and fingers started to go numb. My shoulder was killing me and I couldn't really turn my head. Well, having a daughter with this injury...I wasn't going to mess around and immediately got into see a PT for myself. I thought that maybe my C-6 or C-7 was affected. WELL, turns out it was like my T-4 area (much lower than I thought). She worked on my back, gave me some exercises and all feels right now. The therapist explained that my neck was probably secondary to my back and that often we feel the pain elsewhere than the point of origin (I forget the term, but there is one).

Anyway, my point is have you fully explored the source of the pain?

I hope this doesn't sound too simple and ignorant because I have NO idea what the complexity truly is, just what I've read about for my dd. But I will say that in my experience that was probably really minor in comparison, I was shocked that addressing the issue in a different part of my body affected the pain that I was having in my neck and shoulder.

HI Erica,
I'm so sorry to hear of your pain. I'm sure this is not uncommon. This is even common among non-BPI people who have repetitive strain from their occupations or hobbies (I work at NIOSH). Have you seen an occupational therapist? Besides treatments, there may be things you can do to use your non-affected arm differently so it isn't under as much strain. Good luck - I hope things get better for you.
Tina

I had a bpi that resulted from a severe dislocation. I could not pick my arm up more than about 3 inches and had a lot of pain. They put me in some sort of sling like thing and so I had no choice but to use my other arm for all my daily activities. I have nerve damage as it is so all the over use caused my "good arm" to go numb and loose much of it's movement as well. I had nerve decompressions done on both of them and that has helped more than I ever could have hoped for. Good luck and take it easy!

Thank you all so much for writing back. I had an ultrasound done today on my arm (I'm having a boy! Ha ha)...but it's still hurting VERY BAD. I've never had this much pain in my life. I'm a marketing manager and use the computer/mouse all day long, which doesn't help. Instead of seeing my chiropractor for the 4th time in 5 days....I might go talk w/ my family physician and see what she recommends. Thanks again!!!

Aha!! The mouse! Erica - I've had this kind of pain, even enough to keep me from sleeping. I got something for my mouse at work - it's called "the mousetrapper" - look it up on the internet. It costs about $140 (my work paid for it). That and getting the proper height for my desk and my chair and my pain is gone. Good luck!
Tina

yes, proper seating and other ergonomic things should also be addressed. After my episode I got rid of my cushy chair that I'd slouch in and watch tv and got a more ergonimcally correct chair (so I sit at 90 degrees) and that helped too.

Erica
I use a tracker ball mouse because the regular one bothered my arm so much. I don't have as much pain in my shoulder any more.
Kath