“I love that the team incorporates whatever Kruz is interested in and makes it therapeutic. He loves balls, so they do a lot of catching and throwing to help him get more range of motion. They also play with a lot of bubbles which he loves.”
When Briana welcomed her second son into the world, she never imagined how quickly everything could change. During birth, Kruz suffered a nerve injury, called Erb’s Palsy, which affected his left arm. This type of brachial plexus injury can cause significant muscle weakness.
“I had no idea what Erb’s Palsy was,” Briana shared. “It was a scary time because I didn’t know what his future was going to look like.” Kruz’s left arm was completely limp, with only slight movement in his fingers.
To help Kruz expand of his range of motion in his left arm, his mom sought out outpatient therapy services at Children’s Specialized Hospital (CSH) in Hamilton, New Jersey.
Gaining Mobility
Kruz began seeing physical therapist, Anuja Nangia, and occupational therapist, Molly Buccerio, when he was three weeks old. “It was difficult with a newborn because all he wanted to do was sleep and eat, but he’s come such a long way,” highlighted Briana.
After months of physical therapy, Kruz was getting stronger, but his local pediatric surgeon noted that his recovery would not be substantial without surgery as he did not have much external rotation. “He did really well with internal rotation, such as touching his mouth or resting his hand on his belly, but he was not moving his arm out at all,” stated Briana. Kruz suffered a shoulder subluxation, meaning it was partially dislocated and needed a shoulder reduction surgery at just 6 months old. Unfortunately, after being in a cast for about a month and a half, Kruz’s shoulder came out of place again, requiring a second surgery. “The second surgery was more aggressive to prevent this from happening again,” noted Briana. “They did a nerve transfer as well, which caused loss of function and required a longer recovery.” The surgery required him to take a break from therapy until he was cleared by his local doctor to begin again.
After a few months of recovery, Kruz was ready to get back to therapy at Children’s Specialized Hospital. Regarding Kruz’s experience with his therapists, Briana shared “Molly’s great and has a lot of knowledge and experience with brachial plexus injuries and Erb’s Palsy. I’ve always loved working with Anuja since we’ve worked with her since the beginning and then adding Molly onto his treatment just felt like he had the best care possible.”
“I love that the team incorporates whatever Kruz is interested in and makes it therapeutic. He loves balls, so they do a lot of catching and throwing to help him get more range of motion. They also play with a lot of bubbles which he loves,” added Briana.
“From just 3 weeks old to now 16 months, this little warrior has shown incredible progress! When he first began OT and PT, he couldn’t lift his arm overhead, bend his elbow, use both hands during play, or transition into sitting. Through a collaborative team approach and using specialized modalities such as kinesiotape, e-stim, soft tissue mobilization, vibration, passive range of motion and developmental play he is now walking independently, bringing his hand to his mouth, throwing a ball with both hands, and exploring the world with confidence,” stated Anuja and Molly.
Recovery Journey
Kruz is working hard to get stronger every day. His big brother, Kasen has been instrumental in his recovery journey. “Kruz looks up to him and does everything he does. When Kasen comes to his therapy sessions, the therapists are so accommodating and make him feel special too,” shared Briana.
“As a parent it’s important to be positive. Instead of saying Kruz has a “bad arm,” we say it’s his “lucky fin” and call him Nemo. If you speak positively of it, others will do the same. It’s important for me to make sure that Kruz thinks highly of his injury. Plus, it’s the perfect nickname since he loves water!”
For other parents going through something similar, Briana encourages you to “be present in the moment and enjoy your beautiful blessing. Stay off the internet because every child is different and it’s not a one-size-fits-all. Be patient in the process and trust that your child will be okay. Keep up with the positivity and hope.”
Learn more about outpatient therapy services at Children’s Specialized Hospital.