Does anyone here know anything about tendon transfer surgery for stroke patients. I'm looking into this for my daughter. Her strokes left her with no functional use of ehr left hand.
Mary Grace
Mary Grace
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I think one of my friends who has Cerebral Palsy was offered tendon transfer surgery. He refused it. I forget why he refused to have it done. Anyway since a stroke is brain damage like Cerebral Palsy maybe looking up tendon transfer surgery for people with CP might be helpful.
I had tendon stretching when I was younger and I can tell you that she probably would need a lot of physical therapy after surgery to learn to use her hand.
Best of luck!Mild Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy and bad proprioception.
My website for my original short films! http://cripvideoproductions.com/astrokeofendurance.php -
I'll post on the child neurology forum and see if anyone has experience with this. I know she'll need lots of therapy to learn how to use it but we've been doing LOTS of therapy for 9 yrs and she still is not functionaly using it so the hope that all the hard work she's putting into therapy will actually lead to functional use would be life altering for her.
Thanks for your input
Mary GraceComment
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I hyad that tendon transfer surgery at the University of Pennsylvania in 2008. The last phone number I have is: 215-662-3340. The surgery is called SPLATT.Comment
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Jim Thank you, Can I ask how the surgery went for you? Did it restore any movement? What was your recovery like? What movement did you have before the surgery? Sorry about all the questions but I want to learn all I can bout the surgery. Kathleen actually has an appointment at Shriner's Hospital in Springfield Mass. in November. I want to ask all the right questions and not put her through a surgery that isn't neccessary but at the same time not miss a chance to change her life as far as independence
Mary GraceComment
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I had to wear an AFO from 1984 until 2007. In 2007 my left knee began to hyper extend and I started wearing a KAFO. In 2008 I had my tendon transfer surgery. I can walk into and out of the shower with no brace or shower chair. Because of my knee problem I still need to wear the KAFO outside, but the tendon transfer has made my balance much better. It really has increased my independence. The surgery and recovery were not bad. I had to stay overnight. They hooked me up to a morphine pump in the hospital for that day and overnight, so I had no pain. My biggest problem was nausea. I had never had Morphine before, but once I got the anti-nausea drug I was fine. Before I left the operating room they put my foot into a medicated cast to heal. I had to return in a week or two to have the cast changed and so they could check the healing. After the second cast was removed they put me in a soft cast that I think was called a CAM boot for the remainder of the healing. I have a brace called a knee cage and with that on my knee is secured and I can walk in the sand on the beach. Like magic my feet and ankles act normally. I am very excited for you and Kathleen. Ask anymore questions you like.
JimComment
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Jim that's great to hear!! The tendon surgery I'm looking into for Kathleen is for her left hand BUT your post has made me think... Kathleen wears a KAFO on her left leg and an AFO on her right. Her knee hyperextends and her foot... All I can say is it looks aweful when she walks without the KAFO. her ankle bone almost hits the floor and her otes are so missplaced that she is getting a bunion on her big toe. The way her foot strikes the floor it pushes her toes way off to the right. one toe seems to have stopped growing. Her left foot turns off to the right and she drags it. She barely bends her knee ever. Does this sound similar to your problems before the surgery? I wonder if tendon surgery can help this also??? What exactly did it correct for you?? Thank you for your patience answering my questions!
Mary GraceComment
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Before the surgery I walked on the outside part of my left foot if that makes sense to you. The tendon transfers corrected that deformity and now allows my foot to land flat on the floor. It truly is amazing. My wife just dug out lots of paperwork from my surgery that you may find interesting. Private message me your email. I will scan these sheets into a file and email it to you.Comment
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Jim Thank you so much! It sounds like your foot was just the opposite of Kathleen's she walkes on the inside of her foot and it's twisted so far that the ankle bone just above your arch would hit the ground. It's getting very deforemed looking. I'll send you my e-mail Thank you again. She's only 14 so she's got a LOT of walking to go on those feet!
Mary GraceComment
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Moving tendons will be able to give her a permanent repair. During surgery they released the deformity and adjusted the tendons to hold my foot in the appropriate position. My tendons were 24years post stroke at the time of my surgery and my results were 100%. 14 year old tendons should be even better.
JimComment
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thankyou again Jim. I will talk with the orthopediac surgeon at Shriners about ehr foot as well as ehr hand when we go. Our appointment is in Nov. Hopefully I will have all the right questions to ask. I tried to PM you but it said you were not accepting PM's so Here's my e-mail... mgrace5@nycap.rr.com
Mary GraceComment
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Jim, thanks so much for sending em your information! Very interesting stuff! I'm hopefull that Kathleen will be a good candidate for tendon surgery for her arm and possibly for ehr foot. I'll tlak with the dr, at Shriner's when we go. even if we ahve to go back to see another surgeon for ehr foot. The one we're seeing is an upper extremity specialist. Even the specialists are specialised now! Thanks again...
Mary GraceComment
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