‪What everyone should know about occupational therapy, including what it actually is! I love going to my OT sessions. I get so much out of it and learn how to use every day tasks to exercise and improve my arm. "The goal of occupational therapy is to improve the quality of life of people with physical and mental challenges. And to make that even more awesome, occupational therapists accomplish this by creating individualized treatments based on what activities and occupations

So small miracle today … besides the HUGE improvement in my deltoids … my supraspinatus has decided it wants to work now. It’s intermittent but Jaslyn, my OT, managed to get it on film! The snow angel movement looks a bit bizarre, amd before filming I managed to do it with a much more normal look to it, but ….. here we are! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #bra

As you know, I had a motorcycle accident in March 2015, and I sustained a brachial plexus injury (erb’s palsy), which means that the nerves that control my dominant arm were severed from the spinal cord, and I cannot use my arm anymore. I have had several surgeries and I have now gained some limited arm movement. Brachial Plexus injuries affect many people in Australia, in fact there are more birth injury occurrences of Brachial Plexus/Erb’s Palsy injuries than there are Dow

New toy from Jaslyn Cullen, my OT … flex bar … or wobble stick lol. I have to hold it in my bad hand and pump it up and down in a really tight movement to make the ends wobble. Quite tricky but I can do it. Uses all the muscles in my arm. Doesn’t take long doing it to wear my muscles out and feel the burn. Awesome workout. xxx Brachial Girl #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer

This is a video of my bicep and external rotation doing a reach and pull action 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #nervesurgery #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #exer

This is a video of my deltoid movement 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #nervepain #bicep #recovery #rehab #rehabilitation #workout #exercise

This is a video of my deltoid and external rotation in action 13 months post accident 9 months post nerve transfer #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #blog #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #brachialgirl #rehab #rehabilitation #workout #e

Hey everyone. So at the moment I’m feeling really flat. I’m trying really hard to find a job but no luck. I apply for a heap everyday but the job market here in Perth is really screwed up! I’m so bored! All I do is clean, cook and watch TV! I’m going crazy! This is not who I am! The flip side however, is that I do have some things to do, my husband’s business management chores, bits of work for my own clients, the marketing course I signed up for …. but do you think I can bri

Brachial Girl has her own Facebook page now. Like and share. I'll be posting personal stuff about my own brachial plexus injury journey, as well as useful links, news and everything I find that I think will be of some use to you all. Facebook - Brachial Girl #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #paralysis #scar #depr

I’ve done a heap of work on the Brachial Plexus Australia website. Design change and some new pages and features! Check it out and share with everyone! www.brachialplexusaustralia.com.au #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #traumaticinjury #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #diagnosis #avulsionnerveroot #C5 #C6 #C7 #C8 #T1 #ot #occupationaltherapy

WE HAVE LIFT OFF! So today I went to my OT session with the awesome Jaslyn Cullen, and we discussed my latest MRI and the comments my surgeon, Alex O’Beirne had about me having 4 avulsions rather than the 2 originally diagnosed. It seems impossible that I have hand movement when C5 C6 C7 C8 are all avulsed. But, I do. They’ve always said I was a confusion for them. But the MRI clearly shows 2 nerve root avulsions (torn from spinal cord) and 2 nerve ruptures (stretched and sna

24 Feb 2016. 8 months post nerve transfer. Triceps. I lost the use of my triceps as my surgeon used it as a donor for 2 of my transfers. I’m finally getting some use back. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #disability #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #bra #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #brainsignal #bice

24 Feb 2016. 8 months post nerve transfer. Biceps and Brachialis. I have to bend over because my arm hits my stomach if I’m standing straight. Stupid twisted shoulder and elbow. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #ot #occupationaltherapy #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #strength #brainsignal

24 Feb 2016. 8 months post nerve transfer. Deltoids and triceps progress. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #paralysis #subluxation #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #supraspinatus #infraspinatu #Triceps #Deltoid #TeresMinor #musculocutaneous #brachialis #tricep #bicep #brainsignal #JaslynCullen

A bit of bicep action against gravity at last! Thanks to my OT, Jaslyn Cullen for filming www.jaslyncullen.com.au #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #nervesurgery #subluxation #bicepcurl #bicep #ot #occupationaltherapy #JaslynCullen

Working out the deltoid, triceps, supraspinatus and infraspinatus - 14 weeks Post Nerve Transfer, 6.5 months post accident. Thanks to my OT Jaclyn Cullen! #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #nervetransfer #disability #blog #paralysis #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #supraspinatus #Deltoid #brachialgirl #JaslynCullen #therapy #tricep #infraspinatus

Here’s a snippet of me doing bicep curls today with a 500gram weight on my wrist. Filmed by my lovely OT, Jaslyn Cullen. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #brachialgirl #blog #surgery #paralysis #subluxation #ot #occupationaltherapy #reinervate #scared #success #strength #bicepcurl #bicep #JaslynCullen

Experimenting for the next week with this little item. Let’s see if it helps stimulate my newly working muscles to get stronger! I’ll post a review in a week. This is a TENS and EMS machine. I”m using the EMS program on my bicep and anterior deltoid. The TENS function is believed to provide pain relief. #brachialplexus #brachialplexusinjury #brachialplexusinjuryaustralia #erbspalsy #nerveinjury #nerves #muscles #birthinjury #nervetransfer #disability #motorcycleaccident #trau

RAISING AWARENESS IN AUSTRALIA FOR BRACHIAL PLEXUS AND ERB’S PALSY INJURIES Did you know … The reported incidence of birth related brachial plexus injuries can vary from 2-5 of 1000 births. Out of these around 80% or more resolve themselves. The rest will go through multi-discipline treatments, including OT and PT therapies, nerve and tendon transfer surgeries and other treatments. Besides the birth injury, other causes of brachial plexus injuries include car, motorcycle, spo

So I’ve had a check up and my surgeon Alex O'Beirne suspects I have a bone infection. Not good. I have to have some xrays tomorrow then see him again on Friday. If the broken bones are completely healed he wants to operate and remove the metal plates because even though the infection may be under control it can hide between the bone and the metal and cause huge problems later. Still don’t know what the cause of all this is. .. Looks like I’ll be heading back to the operating