 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 | Even if the nerve is cut or other things permanently reduce your ROM, there are many adaptive techniques to do about anything you need to do. For many, radiation cuts of nerve and blood flow to muscles that eventually atrophy. The trapezius is one of the first and that controls the pass off from about 50-90 degrees when lifting the arm. Also, some get scapular rotation muscle atrophy and that's the other group of muscles used to lift the arm above straight out.
I lost the ROM in both arms around year 5 but I still try to do jumping jacks. It makes no sense considering how light the arm really is and how little extra force is required to get it moving. If you lay on your back and can get full ROM, it may be somewhat limited, even after PT. I spent a few minutes almost every day for 18 months to do a jumping Jack and it isn't pretty and it wasn't sustainable for long.
SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
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