Nearly 20 years ago, Cindy Pohl of Lansing was in a car accident that caused nerve damage and left her unable to use her left arm.
"Obviously I've learned to function with only the use of my right arm," says Pohl, "however, with that use comes overuse."
That overuse led to severe wrist problems, shoulder problems, and carpal tunnel, all in her right arm and shoulder. She's had multiple carpal tunnel surgeries, and several trigger finger surgeries as well.
"I plan on living a while longer, and would like to, as much as possible, ease up on how much my right arm is having to do everything in my life," says Pohl.
The pain and surgeries weren't the only things that pushed her to find a solution, but also the danger of living alone with only one working arm. Carrying something down stairs meant she couldn't hold on to a railing. But now, that may be in the past with this new device.
Sparrow Hospital and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital partnered to find a device that would help Pohl regain some of the function in her arm, and they found one.
The device reads the nerves firing in her bicep and tricep muscles, then moves her arm using those signals. All Pohl has to do is think about lifting her left arm, and it will do it... sometimes.
"The device isn't perfect," states certified orthotist Brittany Begerow, who worked with Pohl for over a year to make this a reality. "We've run into a couple hiccups."
The device can be glitchy and hard to control. During the demonstration of the tech, the stage fright made it tough to get the device to work correctly. But that's in part because Pohl isn't used to the idea.
"It's hard to try and make your left arm function when you haven't had to think about doing that for the last 19 and a half years," she says.
Pohl still hasn't worn the device outside of the house, and she's had it since February. The possibility of it malfunctioning worries her, so she and Begerow are still looking to improve it.
"Finding more adaptive-type equipment that we can use or attach to it that will make her more functional as well I think are the next steps," says Begerow.
While she's waiting for improvements, Pohl still uses the device at least an hour a day at home to strengthen the muscle.
