Brachial Plexus Injury
My Brachial plexus Injury
In May 2004 I was involved in motorbike accident and hit a sign post at about 55 miles an hour.
I broke my left forearm and suffered a brachial plexus injury to my right arm. This was caused by the signpost hitting my right shoulder and my head instinctively
tilting to the left so fast that 3 nerves (from 5 that control each arm) were ripped out of my spine and the other 2 snapped.
I pulled out of the spine: C6, C8 and T1
I severed: C5 and C7
Below is a brief description of what each nerve group does.
- C5: shoulder movement in all directions, flexion of elbow (to some degree)
- C6: flexion of elbow, rotation of forearm, flexion of wrist (to some degree)
- C7: mainly a sensory trunk. Produces generalised loss of movement in the arm, without total paralysis in any given muscle group.
- C8: extension and flexion of fingers, flexion of wrist, hand movement
- T1: Intrinsic muscles of the hand e.g. adduction or abduction of fingers
Pain Issues
About 30 minutes after the accident (I was at hospital by this time) I started to experience the worst pain of my life, I was pumped full of morphine but that did nothing, only gas and air actually offered any relief.
Unfortunately years on the pain is still there, it's no way near as severe but it's still there.
The medication helped at first, (I was on Amitriptyline, Gabapentin and Dihydrocodeine) but I stopped taking them after about a year - I guess the body got used to them but I also started to get used to the pain.
There are good days and bad - the bad get more regular in winter as I don't think the arm likes cold weather.
The best way I've found of getting rid of the pain is distraction - read a book, watch a dvd or play on the computer, I find that as soon as I get into something the pain is pushed to the back of my mind
The Operation
I was taken by Ambucopter to Lincoln County Hospital and within a couple of hours Dr R Nayak had diagnosed that I had suffered a Brachial Plexus injury to my right side
due to incorrect dilation of my right eye (and obviously total loss of feeling/movement of right arm!!).
After a day I had a plate fitted to my left forearm and after three days recovery was transported to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Stanmore.
I was operated on for four and a half hours by Professor Rolfe Birch where he cut the nerve roots off my nerves that had been pulled from my spine and attached them to the nerves that had been snapped.
He then joined the snapped nerves back together.
The nerves had to then re-grow from my spine. I was told that nerve growth is 1mm a day.
Recovery
It's now more than five years since the accident. My shoulder movement came back first - after about a year.
My tricep was next (year two) and followed by my bicep about six months after that - a small muscle appeared, about the size of a small marble an it was about another six months before I could slightly raise my forearm.
After four and a half years my wrist has started moving but only bending inwards.
I have found that one muscle group will start first and the opposing muscle group will be at least six months behind.
As for pills - all I take these days is multi vitamins, cod liver oil and vitamin B (it is supposed to help nerve growth).
It is a very slow and painful journey and I will not pretend it's anything else, but physio, patience and never giving up will yield great results. Every little extra movement you gain will help in your day to day life.
Any questions etc. E-mail me here