(845) 802-0047Erb’s palsy or Erb-Duchene palsy is a neurological injury to a nerve that runs from the baby’s neck to their arm because of excessive lateral traction. Excessive lateral traction is when the delivering physician or nurse midwife is pulling on the baby’s head during the delivery. If they pulled too hard and applied too much force, it could result in a stretching or severing of the brachial plexus nerve. These are three different nerves that run from the neck to the baby’s arm. When sheared or stretched too far during the delivery, it could result in permanent nerve injury to the child’s arm and shoulder. Understanding Hudson Valley Erb’s palsy is an important first step, if you are considering pursuing a birth injury malpractice case. Speak with a skilled birth injury malpractice attorney to learn more.
Common Causes of Erb’s Palsy
The other most common causes of Erb’s palsy are excessive lateral traction or pulling on the baby’s head. When that occurs, it results in the shearing or stretching of the nerve. If there is too much force applied, it causes permanent nerve injury.
How Birth Injuries Could Result in Erb’s Palsy
Birth injuries could result in the manifestation of Erb’s palsy. When there is too much pulling or lateral traction on the baby’s head during the delivery, it could result in a situation where the baby is not moving its arm after the delivery. The mother may notice that one arm is limp and laying to the side. Typically within the first day or two, the pediatrician may notice that the child is not moving or using their arm. That could be a classic sign that the child sustained Erb’s palsy, which is an injury to the nerve in their arm. As the child grows older, it becomes more apparent that the child is not using that arm or perhaps maybe not even raising their arm above shoulder level, which could be a sign of Erb’s palsy.
Treating Erb’s Palsy
Understanding Hudson Valley Erb’s palsy also means understanding that it could be treatable with an operation in which the doctor tries to treat the nerve injury. This is a specialized operation. In some cases, more than one operation is necessary. Typically, the operation could help improve the quality of the neurological function, but not completely eliminate it. There are treatment options, but they are not 100 percent treatable for this condition.
Importance of Medical Professionals Alerting Mothers About Signs of Erb’s Palsy in Hudson Valley
It is important for a nurse midwife or doctor to inform the mother of any signs of Erb’s palsy. Typically, the mother would notice the signs of Erb’s palsy before any of the medical providers, because the mother would notice the child is not using their arm or it is lying limp by their side.
Within the first year it is important that the diagnosis be made and the treatment options explored, including surgery, because there are some surgery options that are more effective within that first year of the baby’s life than two, three, or four years down the line. Understanding Hudson Valley Erb’s palsy can be helpful moving forward and can allow you to take care of your child. Once you have that an understanding, a skilled Erb’s palsy lawyer could help you pursue compensation for your injuries.