Shoulder nerve damage during child birth

[Denniswilson]

Hello,

I've had shoulder problems since I was born... I got stuck during child birth and the doctor had to pull me out which ended up dislocating my left shoulder and causing some nerve damage. However I was told all my life that there is no reason why it shouldn't heal back to full use... Its a lot better then when i was a child but i still have some difficulty lifting my arm high and other movements. Playing guitar is a big part of my life and due to this limitation there are alot of things i find difficult, for example I can't slide up the guitar neck without almost taking my hand away from it. I also have less movement in my fingers which causes problems. Are there any other methods ( apart from keep playing the guitar to loosen everything up) that I can do, especially when it comes to strengthening my fingers?

Thanks,

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[estherderu]

dear Dennis,

May I ask you a few questions before I get to answering you properly.
How old/young are young?
Did anyone every tell you which nerve was damaged?
Do you have areas in your left arm that are numb?
what is your occupation? is playing the guitar a lot your job? your hobby?
What else do you do (work, physical activity)?
If you could tell me this I will react as soon as I can with some proper advice.

kind regards Esther

[Denniswilson]

Thanks for the reply,

1) I am 21 years old.

2) No unfortunately not, Its something i've never been that clear upon, although I know there is an official term for it. I went through some therapy for it when I was young but that stopped when I went to secondary school.

3) There is a small area of my hand that is numb.

4) I'm currently at university but playing guitar could become part of my job, as I hope to go into music production as a career.

5) I have started going to the gym in the last year. I do some weight lifting and cardio.

....

May also be helpful:

I saw a physio around four years ago and he said that the shoulder did grow and form properly.

Thanks

[estherderu]

Thanks for this, I should have been more specific....
could you tell me exactly which part of your hand or fingers is numb?

Esther

[Denniswilson]

Yes sorry, most of my little finger/ring and part of left side of my hand

[mathewvarghese]

Dear Dennis Wilson,
From your history I understand that your ulnar nerve has been damaged on the left side. Firstly a detailed physical examination has to be made before we can make a final conclusion regarding the physical therapy treatment options.

[estherderu]

dear Dennis,
I agree with mathew that it sounds as if you nerve has suffered some damage.
It seems that playing the guitar is difficult for you but I would also say that it is most probably the best therapy you can think of.
I have recently been having some success (as in better fine motor performance- not perfect but better) with nerve lesions using elastic therapeutic (Kinesio) tape.

If you tell me where you live I might be able to ask the participants of the courses I have held (on using this tape) in the UK to see if one of them is in your neighbourhood and could help you with this. I am saying this because not everyone that uses this tape is trained to use it in neurological disorders.
If you are interested, please send me your details on my email address and I will get back to you.
[email protected]