Doctors deliver nearly five thousand children a year who suffer from Erbs Palsy. In 90 percent of Erbs Palsy cases, traumatic stretching of the infant's plexus during birth causes the palsy. A brachial plexus injury (including Complete Brachial Plexus Palsy, Erbs Palsy and Klempke's Palsy) affects a bundle of five nerves known as the brachial plexus, which control muscles in the shoulder, arm, and hand. As a result of this injury, all or some of these muscles might suffer paralysis. Some sufferers have no muscle control and no feeling in their arms or hands. Some can move their arms, but have little control over the wrist and hand. Still others can use their hands well, but cannot use the shoulder or elbow.

Erbs Palsy medical negligence cases are usually involve one or more of the following issues:

Failure to estimate the baby's weight before delivery
Failure to perform a cesarean section
Failure to diagnose and treat gestational diabetes
Failure to inform parents of the risks inherent in vaginally delivering a large infant.
Failure to perform appropriate delivery techniques to manage shoulder dystocia
Applying unnecessary and excessive force during the delivery
Applying inappropriate delivery techniques to manage shoulder dystocia

There are four types of nerve injuries that can result in Erbs Palsy. An avulsion occurs when the injury results in the tearing of the nerve from the spine. This is the most serious type of Erbs Palsy injury. With a rupture, the nerve tears, but does not tear away from the spine. A neuroma exists when a nerve attempts to heal itself and scar tissue develops around the injury. This scar tissue exerts pressure on the injured nerve, thereby preventing signals from the nerve to the muscle. Finally, praxis is a nerve injury in which the nerve does not tear. In cases of praxis, the injury heals on its own, with improvement showing within three months of the injury.

Occasionally during labor and birth, a baby's shoulder can get stuck on the mother's pelvic bone. This birthing emergency is called Shoulder Dystocia. Accepted medical protocol exists to deal with this birthing emergency. Doctors may use many different procedures to dislodge the baby's shoulder so that the baby can safely pass through the birthing canal. In some cases, the doctor can reposition the mother, or the doctor can use his or her hands to maneuver and change the position of the baby. In particularly dangerous and difficult births, the doctor can break the baby's clavicle bone on purpose, break the mother's pelvic bone or perform an emergency C-section. A doctor can cut a deep episiotomy, perform the McRobert's maneuver, and exert suprapubic pressure. The doctor can also use gentle traction in a horizontal plane to avoid damaging the brachial plexus.

In the event of shoulder dystocia, the doctor can support the head of the baby and apply a small amount of traction during the dislodging maneuvers. When the doctor uses excessive traction on the head while the baby's shoulder remains stuck, the brachial plexus nerves in the baby's neck may suffer injury. Depending on its location, this injury then causes one of the types of brachial plexus palsy. If you and your baby have suffered injury contact us here.