Erbs Palsy

A preventable disorder

Erbs palsy is a disorder that is mainly caused by trauma an infant receives during the birthing and labor process. Erbs palsy can range from full paralysis of the arms to impairment of only one of the five main nerves that allow both feeling and movement. The main factor determining the severity of the disorder lies in how much damage has occurred to the five main nerves that make up the brachial plexus. While Erbs palsy can occur as an adult, the condition predominantly occurs after a birth injury.

Some infants can recover from the injuries suffered during the labor process, while others require a specialist to determine the best action plan. Recognizing and treating the disorder as early as possible is your best chance to increase your recovery from the injury.

Erbs palsy can arise from difficulty delivering the shoulder of the infant, called shoulder dystocia. Other instances of Erbs palsy can result from feet-first delivery. Cesarean sections have reduced the number of Erbs palsy cases caused when the newborn is larger than average size.

Factors affecting severity

Factors such as the number of nerves that have been damaged can affect the severity of the injury. Depending on how many and which nerves were damaged, the range of symptoms can vary from the hand being held in a waiters tip position to weakness or paralysis in the arm and hand.

Another factor is the severity of the damage. If there was only a bruising or a mild stretching of the fibers, a child is likely to recover loss of movement quickly and with little or no long-term damage. The more fibers that have been ripped and stretched, the more severe the loss of movement. If a nerve has been completely pulled apart, it can never repair itself and results in paralysis of that muscle.

Types of Erbs palsy

Based on the damage to the nerve, there are four types of Erb’s palsy that include:

• Neuroma—scar tissue weighs on the nerve
• Avulsion—the nerve is completely separate from the spine
• Praxis/stretch—the nerve is only slightly damaged, not ripped, and may heal on its own
• Rupture—the nerve is ripped but not separated from the spine

If your child suffers from Erbs palsy, or if you have any legal questions about birth injuries, please contact Greg Jones & Associates for a free consultation about your specific situation. We have years of experience and proven results in birth injury cases throughout the United States.