A difficult delivery might lead to a birth injury that can cause Erb’s Palsy. This can happen when the baby’s head, neck, or shoulders are pulled or stretched to an excessive degree by the medical staff. Such actions can cause damage to the brachial plexus nerves in the child. If a baby is bigger than normal or is born feet first, these issues can also make it vulnerable to Erb’s Palsy. The problem is not limited to these instances, however. It can happen to any baby at any time.

Medical professionals have a method of defining injures resulting in Erb’s Palsy. They are:

• Nerves being torn away from the spinal cord making surgical intervention necessary is known as an avulsion injury.

• Tears of the nerves in several locations also makes surgery necessary and is known as a rupture injury.

• Scar tissue compressing nerves is known as neuroma.

• Compression of the shoulder after being wedged is a stretch injury.

Warning signs of Erb’s Palsy

Warning signs of a child having Erb’s Palsy include lack of sensation or weakness in an arm to complete or partial paralysis. Doctors can find out whether a child has Erb’s Palsy by performing tests on the muscles or by taking an x-ray. Occasionally newborns recover without significant medical treatment and do so within the first year. Other times, they require extensive treatment and continuous care.

Many babies sustain a birth injury that leads to Erb’s Palsy each year. Caused by damage to the shoulder area (also known as the brachial plexus), the network of nerves goes from the spine to the shoulder to the hand and fingertips. Medical mistakes can be the cause of Erb’s Palsy. This has led parents of injured children to seek compensation for birth injuries by filing a lawsuit.

Contact an attorney to discuss your case

If the medical staff doesn’t have the experience to handle a complicated delivery, it is not an excuse to commit malpractice or make an error due to negligence. A birth injury leading to Erb’s Palsy can cause physical and emotional damage to the child and family, but it is also a financial hardship with possible surgeries, physical therapy and other treatments to try and help the child lead a normal life with a fully functioning body.

Do you believe that your child is the innocent victim of medical errors that caused the injury? If so, contact the birth injury attorneys at Balkin & Eisbrouch to discuss your case.

For decades, the attorneys at Balkin & Eisbrough have handled birth injury cases and pursued the highest awards to compensate affected families for the expenses and accompanying lifestyle changes and hardships that are tragic results of a medical mistake. We are determined to get justice for you and your child. If your child is the victim of medical negligence and subsequent birth injury leading to Erb’s Palsy, call Balkin & Eisbrouch for a free case evaluation. You pay nothing unless we win your case. Contact us now.