Erb’s Palsy

During difficult or particularly lengthy births, a baby’s shoulder can sometimes get stuck on the mother’s pelvic bone. When this happens, it’s important that experienced and highly trained and qualified doctors and medical teams employ the appropriate, gentle and skilled techniques necessary to safely deliver the baby. If overly forceful techniques are used, the baby can suffer from shoulder dystocia, a brachial plexus injury or Erb’s palsy. Essentially, this is an injury to the tissue, muscles and nerves in the baby’s shoulder area. Paralysis can impact the baby’s upper arm, rotational movements, lower arm and hand. It can result in temporary issues and weakness or lifelong paralysis and damage. If your baby suffered from a birth injury that caused Erb’s palsy, you need to contact a personal injury lawyer who has birth injury case experience as soon as possible about your case.

Brachial Plexus Damage and Erb’s Palsy

When the nerves are damaged in the shoulder area, the baby can suffer from weakness or paralysis in the affected arm. In most cases, this happens when a doctor or medical professional pulls the baby’s arm forcefully or improperly. If this happens, immediate diagnosis and treatment are essential for favorable outcomes. When a baby has Erb’s palsy, he or she will need physical therapy as a treatment. Depending upon the circumstances of your birth and the severity of the injury, your baby could be looking at symptoms like mild weakness and chronic pain all the way to paralysis of the affected arm.

Improper Technique in the Delivery Room

Erb’s palsy is almost always a result of improper or forceful techniques in the delivery room. In most cases, these injuries are completely preventable. If your child developed Erb’s palsy as a result of shoulder dystocia or a brachial plexus injury in the delivery room, it will be necessary to get with a personal injury lawyer who has proven birth injury case experience immediately. These cases are time sensitive, and investigations will need to start swiftly. Your lawyer can keep you abreast of any investigative developments and help to ensure that the truth comes out about what errors or improper or forceful techniques resulted in your baby’s injury.

Erb’s Palsy Symptoms and Severity 

Each case is different and no two deliveries are exactly the same. Depending upon the amount of force used or the techniques employed, your baby could be looking at symptoms as mild as lifelong weakness and pain or as serious as complete paralysis in the impacted arm. No matter where your child is on the spectrum of this particular birth injury, one thing is for certain. You’re going to need compensation for physical therapy and ongoing medical procedures and care. When labor and delivery doctors and teams use forceful or dangerous techniques, they put mothers and babies at risk for dangerous and potentially catastrophic long-term injuries. While in some cases, appropriate treatment, physical therapy and surgical procedures can help to mitigate symptoms and severity, it’s important to determine exactly how your child’s injury occurred and how it could have been prevented. When ongoing medical treatments and physical therapy are required, it will be up to your lawyer to help you get the compensation you deserve to take care of your baby’s medical needs.