When a maritime worker suffers an arm or hand fracture, rendering his hand immobile for a period of time, it may not be long before the brain kicks in to increase his ability to use the other arm.  A new study finds that the brain adjusts quickly to a fractured arm, helping people to adjust to their new circumstances, and helping them to improvise with the other uninjured arm.

As anyone who has suffered a fracture, or any hand injury that has rendered the hand and arm immobile and incapable of any kind of activity knows, learning to live without the use of your good arm can be excruciatingly difficult.  However, the study which has just been published in the journal Neurology indicates that the brain experiences shifts that allow the person to adapt quickly to the changed circumstances.

The study involved 10 right-handed people who suffered a fracture in the upper arm.  These persons went through 2 MRIs, the first within 2 days of suffering the injury and the second about 2 weeks after the injury.  The researchers measured how well the right-handers were able to use their left hand to perform routine tasks.  They found that within 2 weeks, the subjects were able to begin using their left hand much more easily than they were able to 2 days after the injury.  Some sections of the brain that were associated with the use of the left hand had increased in size after the injury.

The researchers want to conduct more studies to see if people who have lost the use of a limb, like maritime workers who have suffered amputations or crushed limbs, could benefit from improved therapies that work on increasing the brain’s capacity to improvise in this manner.

If you are a maritime worker in Mississippi who has suffered an amputated limb or arm injury, there are steps you can take to protect your rights to compensation.  Begin by ordering a copy of our free report The Insider’s Guide to Winning Your Maritime Injury Case.  Speak with an experienced maritime attorney at our firm. Initial consultations are free.