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Erb’s Palsy affects about one out of every 1,000 babies born in the United States. This injury has an impact not only on the baby, but also the family who, through no fault of their own, must bear the enormous financial, emotional, and other costs of raising a disabled child. A kişisel yaralanma avukatı works to obtain the financial resources these families need to meet their disabled child’s special needs.
Erb’s palsy (“palsy” means “paralysis”), also called brachial plexus palsy or Erb-Duchenne palsy, develops when a baby’s neck is stretched to one side during a difficult delivery. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that runs down the spine. It gives feeling and control to muscles in the arms, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands. When these nerves are damaged during childbirth, the damage causes temporary or permanent paralysis of the face and arm.
Causes of Erb’s Palsy
Technically, Erb’s Palsy is a birth injury. However, for legal purposes, Erb’s Palsy is a failure-to-prepare injury. In most cases, birth injuries don’t simply occur randomly.
Erb’s Palsy is often caused by excessive pulling or stretching of an infant’s head and shoulders during a difficult or prolonged delivery. Erb’s Palsy can develop if an infant’s head and neck are pulled to the side at the same time as the shoulders pass through the birth canal. Brachial plexus palsy can also develop due to the baby being in an awkward position in the womb.
The risk of Erb’s Palsy nearly triples during SD (shoulder dystocia) births. Shoulder dystocia occurs when an infant’s head is delivered but the shoulders remain lodged inside the mother’s womb.
In these situations, doctors often use force to deliver the baby. Newborns are very fragile. A slight amount of force, like a gentle pull, could cause a serious injury, like Erb’s Palsy. Several other risk factors increase the chances of a child developing Erb’s Palsy, such as:
- Improper C-section (cesarean section),
- Excessive maternal weight gain,
- Forceful pulling on the arm,
- Large infant size or high birth weight,
- Anne diyabeti,
- Second stage of labor lasting over an hour,
- Small or abnormal maternal pelvis shape,
- Use of assistive delivery tools, such as forceps or vacuum extractor, and
- Other forms of medical negligence.
Doctors have a duty of care to spot prenatal red flags, such as LGA (large for gestational age), and respond appropriately to these risks. Then, in the delivery room, doctors must prioritize patient health and safety above everything else.
Signs & Symptoms of Erb’s Palsy
Some Erb’s Palsy symptoms, such as total paralysis of the affected arm, are often recognizable at birth. However, the true nature and severity of nerve damage, as well as the limits on a child’s movement, may not be apparent until the child is between three and six months old. The most common symptoms of Erb’s Palsy include:
- Baby’s arm hangs by the side and wrist rotates inward (waiter’s tip),
- Decreased grip strength,
- Limited motion of the arm,
- Numbness in arm,
- Partial or total paralysis of the arm, and
- Weakness in the arm.
It is important to contact your doctor if your child is showing any of the signs listed above. The sooner you get a diagnosis, the sooner your child can get treatment.
Erb’s Palsy Treatment and Prognosis
If the child is younger than six months, many doctors take a “wait and see” approach. If the child is older, more in-depth treatment, such as therapy or surgery, is required.
Physical therapists help improve stiffness and immobility in a child’s arms or shoulders. Therapists use massage techniques, motion exercises, and exercise equipment to improve movement and strength in the affected arm.
More intensive occupational therapy helps children develop the strength to perform everyday activities, such as picking up a toy or bottle. An occupational therapist uses a range of movement exercises to improve joint function and muscle tone.
Children with severe cases of Erb’s Palsy usually require surgery to repair nerve damage and paralysis in the arm, hand, elbow, or shoulder. It is important to get surgery as soon as possible. Postponing Erb’s Palsy surgery significantly reduces the chances of complete recovery.
During a nerve transfer procedure, doctors remove a healthy nerve from another area and attach it to a damaged nerve. In some cases, a tendon transfer may also be performed. This riskier procedure involves taking a tendon from another part of the body and moving it to the affected arm to improve mobility.
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