THE LAW OFFICES OF
BARRY G. DOYLE, P.C.
100 W MONROE ST.,
STE 2100
CHICAGO, IL 60603
PHONE: 312.263.1080
FAX: 312.263.0153
Illinois Birth Injury Lawyer
Serving Illinois In Chicago, Rockford, and Surrounding Areas
What is Erb's Palsy?
It is an injury to the brachial plexus usually caused by birth trauma. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the lower neck and upper chest area, which control the chest, shoulders and arms. They branch out from the spinal cord and connect to other nerves in the upper body. When they are injured, it affects movement and sensation in the arms and hands.
Symptoms
The most common symptom is ability to move one arm but not the other. The baby may be able to move the fingers of that hand, but not the arm. Usually the arm will be straight at the baby's side, and may be bent at the wrist, but have straight fingers.
If there is a droopy eyelid on the same side of the body, that is an indication of a more severe injury.
There may be loss of sensation in the affected arm too, which could be discovered by the right type of tests for a newborn.
Damage to the brachial plexus during childbirth
Development of Erb's Palsy is associated with injury during delivery, and can be a consequence of bad medical decisions.
Especially in newborns, the nerve fibers of the brachial plexus are highly delicate and vulnerable to injuries such as tearing or bruising. Under the pressure from labor contractions, the baby is impelled through the birth canal, but sometimes the baby's shoulder becomes stuck behind the pelvic bone. This tension between the forces pushing the baby outwards and the shoulder being stuck can stretch and injure the brachial nerves, especially if forceps are also used to pull the baby out.
Muscle damage
Injury to the nerve fibers often translates into muscle damage. Erb's Palsy can have widely varying degrees of severity. Signs can include limp arm movement, stiff elbow, neck and shoulder movement difficulty, and "favoring" of an injured arm.
It is important to schedule a medical visit if you suspect your child may have nerve damage in one or both arms.
When a labor and delivery nurse or physician fails to handle the baby carefully, Erb's Palsy is just one of the potentially debilitating conditions that can result. It can cause paralysis, sensory loss, and permanent nerve damage, limiting a child from the start of his life.
Treatment
Often the baby will recover without surgery, as the nerves heal themselves. Typically there would be an examination at one month, and again at three months to check on their progress. Full recovery could take up to two years.
Surgery
If there is no improvement after three months, surgery can be done and the baby will wear a splint afterwards. This surgery removes the injured parts of the nerves. The nerves will then regrow as the baby grows. Treatment includes range of motion exercises while the nerves heal.
You can help by doing these exercises with your baby two or three times a day. They will help to keep the joints and muscles in good shape until the baby can move his own arm.
Medical malpractice
Is your child's Erb's Palsy the result of medical malpractice? Was your baby mishandled? Were forceps used improperly? Was your baby really too large for a vaginal delivery, so that a C-section should have been done?
Attorney Barry Doyle can help you find answers. Contact him as soon as possible, because all medical malpractice cases are complex and time-consuming. There's a lot of research to be done before the lawsuit is filed, and the statute of limitations is running.
In a consultation with Barry Doyle, you can explain what you know of the situation, and Barry will ask some questions. In order to determine whether there was malpractice in the delivery of your child, you should obtain all prenatal records, the chart for both the mother and the child for the delivery, and all subsequent records for the child. The sooner you get started, the better your chances are of winning a fair award.
More about Brachial Plexus injuries
It's heartbreaking when your baby is born with a developmental difficulty. Don't delay in consulting an experienced birth injury lawyer. If you're in the Chicago area, contact Illinois birth injury lawyer Barry Doyle today for your free legal consultation. No recovery, no fee.
