I Was Born With Spengel'S Deformity In 1955

Greetings, what an interesting website! I was born in 1955 with Sprengel's and my Dad noticed it ~1959. I was sent to Boston Children's Hospital in 1959 for a consultation, but it was decided that I would have the surgery in Michigan where I lived at the time. At that time the debate seemed to be would they cut down the center of the back or do a right shoulder to left waist incision. I remember that they thought I would be in the hospital for 3 weeks (imagine that!) but I was sent home after a week as I drove the nurses crazy. My right arm was completely bandaged up for approx 1 month after the surgery. At that time there really wasn't physical therapy. I was completely ambidextrous at the time, but then switched to my left hand as I didn't want to use my sore right arm/hand. Yet I still do many things right handed to this day. I was very active in sports, playing on tennis and softball teams in high school. Yet I never have had the total mobility/flexibility of that area. I would imagine today that the surgery is much more successful. Very few doctors, other than orthopedists, have ever heard of this.

My parents had another daughter 4 years after me, who died right after birth. She was diagnosed with Sprengel's, but had severe traits of it. I wish I could tell you more on this, but I was so young and it was too painful for my parents to discuss in later years.

I was in a few car accidents where I was rear ended and it immediately hurt my right shoulder over any other part of the body. I had to have surgeries to release the area of the right shoulder.