Understanding Erb’s Palsy
Erb’s Palsy is a serious birth injury that impacts the brachial plexus—the bundle of nerves in the shoulder responsible for controlling movement and sensation in the arm and hand. When these nerves are stretched, torn, or otherwise damaged during childbirth, a newborn may experience partial or total paralysis of the arm.
In many cases, Erb’s Palsy develops because of complications during delivery, such as shoulder dystocia, improper use of forceps or vacuum devices, or excessive pulling on the infant’s head, neck, or shoulders. While some infants recover with therapy, others may live with long-term or permanent impairments that affect their ability to use one arm.
In Ohio, families coping with this condition may be entitled to pursue compensation through medical malpractice claims if the injury was the result of negligent medical care.
One or two of every 1,000 babies suffer from Erb’s palsy, a form of brachial plexus palsy. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves near the child’s neck that give rise to nerves in the arm, providing movement and feeling to the shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers.
The condition of brachial plexus birth palsy causes arm weakness and a loss of motion. Potential causes for this kind of birth trauma can include:
- Infant’s neck stretched to the side during delivery
- Shoulder dystocia—the baby’s shoulder gets stuck on the mother’s pelvic bone during delivery
- A physician pulling too hard on a baby’s head, causing excessive strain on the baby’s shoulder and brachial plexus nerves
- Excessive force—nursing or doctor negligence
- Improper use of forceps or vacuum extractors. Forceps and vacuum extractors may risk intracranial hemorrhage
- Breech birth injury—brachial plexus nerves can be injured when the baby’s arms are pulled backward over the head as the delivering physician pulls the newborn by the legs
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Ohio medical malpractice attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of hospital negligence and birth injury claims against parties responsible for children born with injuries.
Types of Brachial Plexus Birth Injury
In many cases, brachial plexus Erbs palsy affects the motion of the arm and shoulder and further into the hand and fingers. In most cases only the upper nerves are affected. If both upper and lower nerves are stretched, the condition is more severe and considered a total, brachial plexus birth palsy. Injuries include a loss of feeling and partial or complete paralysis. Four types of brachial plexus nerve injuries include:
- Neurapraxia—nerves are shocked but do not rupture, and are likely to heal in a few months
- Neuroma—Involve damage to nerve fibers resulting in scar tissue that presses on healthy nerves
- Tearing of the nerve—a tear or rupture will require a nerve graft and vary in results
- Avulsion—the most serious type of birth nerve injury and occurs when the nerve is completely torn from the spinal cord
Symptoms & Outlook of Erbs Palsy
The severity of the injury affects both treatment decisions and the extent of recovery possible. Brachial plexus injuries and Erb’s palsy birth injury in newborns usually present with the following symptoms:
- Weakness in one arm
- Loss of feeling in the arm
- Partial or total paralysis of the arm
Because nerves recover very slowly, many children with birth injuries continue to experience weakness in the shoulder, arm, or hand for months or years. Your doctor can discuss various treatment options and make a specific recommendation based on your child’s injury. Treatment may include microsurgery, nerve graft, or nerve transfer.
Negligent hospital management, nurses or doctors may be held liable for Erb’s Palsy and birth trauma injuries, and it is recommended to contact an experienced hospital negligence attorney to review your medical and Medical Negligence.
