Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Crooked or Bowed Arms...Any One Else Experience This?

Okay so I need a little input from anyone who has experienced this with their child... Reid's little arms are bowed and he cannot turn them in front of him so that the palms of his hands are straight up in the air. The farthest he can turn his hands/wrists is with his thumbs straight up in the air. These pictures may not be the best to illustrate it, but Reid decided he did not want to cooperate this morning for pictures of his arms :). We noticed the bow or crookedness of his arms when he was an infant but we had so many other things to tackle with him that this took a back seat. But, now I am concerned that his crooked arms may hinder him with some small motor skills. Our occupational therapist is working with him and we are doing some muscle excersises to stretch and loosen the muscles. But, we are not sure if it is just a soft tissue issue or if it is more skeletal. I took Reid to our pediatrician to see what he thought and after examining Reid's arms he recommended we see an orthopedist. We have an appointment later this afternoon...but was wondering if anyone had any information to shed on this before I go. I have learned that to find a Dr. who has more than "general" information about children with Down syndrome is rare, so I would like to go in as prepared as possible.

This picture shows the limit he can rotate his wrist...
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12 comments:

Unknown said...

I have never noticed this with Preslie...but I'll see what she dose. Hopefully the Orthopedist will have some answers for you and some things you can do to loosen him up! Those pictures are priceless though..he is such a gem of a little guy!!!

The Sanchez Family said...

I don't have anything to add but I hope someone does. Let me know if you want me to ask our PT about it. She seems to be really knowledgeable. Just curious, did Reid spend a lot of time crawling before he walked? Just wondering if he had an opportunity to straighten out his arms and build the shoulder strength while crawling on hands and knees.

Cheri said...

Thanks Michelle and Jennifer.

Jen, that is a really good question about the crawling... he actually crawled on hands and knees for about a good 10-11 months. I remember being anxious to get him to walk and our occupational therapist kept telling me that the important thing for him was to have enough time on his hands and knees to strengthen his core muscles...so I tried to be patient. He can crawl with hands palms straight down but can't turn his arms so palms are straight up...it is really odd :). Our pediatrician said we "stumped" him...we head out in just a few minutes to the specialist, I'll post our findings.

Heather said...

Well my vast medical experience does not include this ... give Zoey some time and maybe it will!Seriously though,I have zero input except that sounds like you'll be to the bottom of it before long.Hope all is well.Love all the pictures.

Kele said...

Anxious to hear what the doctor said?! Haven't noticed with Pres, but she is still is so tiny I don't know that I would.
Don't mean to make light of it cause I know you are concerned, but in the continual effort to get you guys to Texas, can I just say, if you put some cowboy boots and a hat on him, he would fit right in down here, and goodness knows I would sure love me some Cowboy Reid close by!

lisa said...

Cheri, he's SO cute!

Anonymous said...

Hi. I was googling and found your post about your son's wrist. My son is having the same problem. He is 3, we are being referred to a peds otho doctor as well. I was trying to get more information on the problem. We noticed it while he was washing his hands, he couldnt turn his palms up. It doesnt bother him and he has hadnt a problem but it bothers me. I found some post of another mom who's daughter had the issue. But it had little info on the outcome. Please let me know if you have any insight on this if you can. Thanks! Vanessa (pickens_0905@yahoo.com)

Anonymous said...

Im 14 and my arms do not go straight. Your kids will be fine, I am. I play soccer and softball and live a perfectly normal life.

Anonymous said...

I am 41 and basically a healthy person. My arms have been like this my entire life. I noticed it as an over conscious teenager, my parents never did. The only times it gives me a major problem are donating blood and sometimes the way I lay down on my arm, it's just uncomfortable. Other than that, it's just funky :) tell him he's a very special guy and very few people are cool enough to have arms like him :) I wish you all the best with your blessed angel!

Cheri said...

Anonymous..... thank you for your comments, I really appreciate your words! It is interesting, I have quite a few people google "bowed or crooked arms" and find this blog on a daily basis that way.... I am always curious as to what their take is on it or their experience so I really appreciate you taking the time to share!

Anonymous said...

i have the same problem with my arms!:(

Anonymous said...

Is there any treatment so we can turn our hands