Erb's Palsy / Brachial Plexus Palsy
Sometimes during delivery of a baby, the baby's shoulder has difficulty
passing through the birth canal after the head has been delivered.
This can result in a distension or stretching of the neck in an excessive
manner that causes nerve damage. The nerves that are damaged are a
cluster called the brachial plexus. These nerves run from the spine
to the shoulder and control the mechanisms of movement of the hand,
arm and shoulder. The resulting injury is called an Erb’s Palsy.
The injury may also be referred to as Klumpke’s Plasy.
The most common signs of a brachial plexus injury are as follows:
A limp or paralyzed arm
Lack of muscle control in the arm
A decrease of sensation in the arm or hand
Loss of sensation in the arm or hand
Lack of control of shoulder or elbow muscles
Inability to properly move or use the hand, arm and/or shoulder
When malpractice occurs, it may be because the doctor negligently
failed to recognize the signs indicating the presence of a large
baby and/or failed to perform an ultrasound study on the fetus.
Some of the signs suggestive of a large baby are an obese mother,
excessive weight gain of the mother during pregnancy, a mother who
delivered a previous baby that was large, or a mother with pregnancy
diabetes.
Shearer & Essner, LLP, has successfully recovered many multi-million
dollar settlements for children with Erb's Palsy/Brachial Palsy and
their families. If your child has Erb's Palsy or Brachial Palsy and
you want to determine what caused that injury and whether your child
has a valid claim, contact us for a free consultation at 212-750-4949
or fill out the Contact
Us form.
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