Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Pilot Lounge > Pilot Health
Arm-rest Induced Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy >

Arm-rest Induced Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy

Notices
Pilot Health FAA medical; health topics

Arm-rest Induced Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy

Old 02-20-2018, 09:11 AM
  #1  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Default Arm-rest Induced Ulnar Nerve Neuropathy

I am just recovering from surgery to transpose (move) the ulnar nerve in my right arm. This was necessary due to significant pain that had developed in the arm just below the elbow.

The attending neurosurgeon is a renowned surgeon who practices at Johns Hopkins. In his opinion the injury was most likely caused by repeated pressure associated with the arm coming in contact with armrest of the seat in the jet. He stated that pilots and taxi drivers make up a significant percentage of his patients.

My return to flying is in question due to a medication I may have to take long term that is on the "no fly" list. Because of this I am contemplating a claim against my airline and the aircraft manufacturer. A claim like the one contemplated is always going to be more attractive if it involves multiple plaintiffs, so I would be interested in hearing from any of you who may have been similarly affected.

I can be contacted by text at 435-640-5184 or by e-mail at
[email protected] or you can post contact details in this thread and I will get back to you

Thanks
murrayg is offline  
Old 02-20-2018, 10:58 AM
  #2  
On Reserve
 
Joined APC: Aug 2017
Posts: 21
Default

Sorry to hear about your issue. A claim like this will be hard to prove. The insurance company can always say that you injured yourself elsewhere. I'm a physician and also a pilot. I wish you well and hope that you can recover something. Insurance companies are not pleasant to work with...to say it politely.
WHDC is offline  
Old 02-20-2018, 11:11 AM
  #3  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Default

Originally Posted by WHDC View Post
Sorry to hear about your issue. A claim like this will be hard to prove. The insurance company can always say that you injured yourself elsewhere. I'm a physician and also a pilot. I wish you well and hope that you can recover something. Insurance companies are not pleasant to work with...to say it politely.
Thanks WHDC. Indeed, this is a difficult claim, one reason I have one of the top personal injury firms in the nation working on it. They are confident the case is strong, but agree the other side will contest strongly.

All the more reason gals and guys why I need to hear from any of you who may have been affected. Much harder to say that 1000 pilots suffered the injury from other sources ....
murrayg is offline  
Old 02-20-2018, 11:18 AM
  #4  
Prime Minister/Moderator
 
rickair7777's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Engines Turn Or People Swim
Posts: 39,100
Default

I assume your lawyers are familiar with aviation? Aviation employers get a pass on some OSHA rules (and essentially all state/local rules) when it comes to flight crew because aviation is regulated by the FAA (which doesn't need to worry too much about crew health and well being after they block in).
rickair7777 is offline  
Old 02-20-2018, 11:28 AM
  #5  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Default

Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
I assume your lawyers are familiar with aviation? Aviation employers get a pass on some OSHA rules (and essentially all state/local rules) when it comes to flight crew because aviation is regulated by the FAA (which doesn't need to worry too much about crew health and well being after they block in).
Yes, they are. Most of their practice deals with aviation.
murrayg is offline  
Old 02-23-2018, 11:38 AM
  #6  
Airborne bus driver
 
RadialGal's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Position: my seat smells funny
Posts: 221
Default

Geeze,

This country has become so litigious! I wish you healing, but why so quick to head to court? People would be surprised how much lawsuits raise costs. Ask any Doctor/Surgeon how much of their profit goes to malpractice. Why workplaces often have you sign arbitration agreements prior to employment.

Give the healing process a try. Don't be so quick to crucify the airline that employees you and the aircraft that carried you safely for years. You think The AC Manufacturer purposefully designed nerve inflaming armrests, that the Airline willfully chose to not address them?

I wish you the best of health and many more years in the air; but truly hope this lawsuit does not come to fruition.

RadialGal
RadialGal is offline  
Old 02-23-2018, 03:23 PM
  #7  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Default

Dear Radial Gal,

The answer to your question is that there is a 2 year statute on filing a claim and the clock starts ticking on that when symptoms appear. I did not rush to do such invasive surgery, I looked at other remedies first, so the statute expires in a few months.

I am not keen on litigation either, but even less keen to soak up a multi-million dollar earnings hit when the top peripheral neurosurgeon in the country tells me it is caused by a product that I am required to use in my job, and which might be considered to be defective.

Thanks for the well wishes.
murrayg is offline  
Old 02-24-2018, 03:31 AM
  #8  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Posts: 19,224
Default

Originally Posted by murrayg View Post
Dear Radial Gal,

The answer to your question is that there is a 2 year statute on filing a claim and the clock starts ticking on that when symptoms appear. I did not rush to do such invasive surgery, I looked at other remedies first, so the statute expires in a few months.

I am not keen on litigation either, but even less keen to soak up a multi-million dollar earnings hit when the top peripheral neurosurgeon in the country tells me it is caused by a product that I am required to use in my job, and which might be considered to be defective.

Thanks for the well wishes.
What should they use instead of arm rests? Geisha girls to hold and massage your arms? Stuff happens in life. It’s not all someone’s fault.
sailingfun is offline  
Old 02-25-2018, 09:49 AM
  #9  
Airborne bus driver
 
RadialGal's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Apr 2014
Position: my seat smells funny
Posts: 221
Default

Exactly Sailingfun......how do you know the equipment is defective? Neuropathy is squirrelly and very hard to tie to a specific cause. It can be Hereditary or even idiopathic (no cause at all, just "happens"). Do you drink daily? That is a huge risk factor for Neuropathy; there are so many more; just take a look at Mayo's list of possible causes.



Not a single disease, peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage caused by a number of conditions. Causes of neuropathies include:

Alcoholism. Poor dietary choices made by people with alcoholism can lead to vitamin deficiencies.

Autoimmune diseases. These include Sjogren's syndrome, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and necrotizing vasculitis.

Diabetes. More than half the people with diabetes develop some type of neuropathy.
Exposure to poisons. Toxic substances include heavy metals or chemicals.

Medications. Certain medications, especially those used to treat cancer (chemotherapy), can cause peripheral neuropathy.

Infections. These include certain viral or bacterial infections, including Lyme disease, shingles, Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis C, leprosy, diphtheria and HIV.

Inherited disorders. Disorders such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease are hereditary types of neuropathy.

Trauma or pressure on the nerve. Traumas, such as from motor vehicle accidents, falls or sports injuries, can sever or damage peripheral nerves. Nerve pressure can result from having a cast or using crutches or repeating a motion such as typing many times.

Tumors. Growths, cancerous (malignant) and noncancerous (benign), can develop on the nerves or press nerves. Also, polyneuropathy can arise as a result of some cancers related to the body's immune response. These are a form of paraneoplastic syndrome.

Vitamin deficiencies. B vitamins — including B-1, B-6 and B-12 — vitamin E and niacin are crucial to nerve health.

Bone marrow disorders. These include abnormal protein in the blood (monoclonal gammopathies), a form of bone cancer (osteosclerotic myeloma), lymphoma and amyloidosis.

Other diseases. These include kidney disease, liver disease, connective tissue disorders and an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).

In a number of cases, no cause can be identified (idiopathic).

The folks you sue will point to any of these causes and more and they would be correct.

You'd have one hell of an uphill battle against folks who have a lot more money than you. (PS, my degree is PreMed, so I know a little)

Hope you heal soon and keep the dirty side down,

RadialGal

Last edited by RadialGal; 02-25-2018 at 10:11 AM. Reason: spelling
RadialGal is offline  
Old 02-25-2018, 01:04 PM
  #10  
New Hire
Thread Starter
 
Joined APC: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Default

Radial Gal and Sailing Fun,

Thanks for the inputs. However, I started this thread to see if others out there are similarly affected, not to get inputs regarding neurology. I think I was clear in stating that the attending surgeon was a renowned neurosurgeon, in fact he is considered to be the best in the country. Based on an in-depth assessment he feels the cause is the armrest.

I would love to hear from other pilots out there who have been affected.

Thanks
murrayg is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
SR22
Part 135
116
01-19-2010 09:39 PM
mjarosz
Regional
6
05-20-2009 05:05 AM
flyboy1987
Major
8
01-27-2008 10:25 AM
N618FT
Regional
33
11-19-2007 07:28 AM
Freight Dog
Cargo
2
07-04-2006 05:58 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices