Erb’s palsy or brachial plexus palsy is a condition and which often 
occurs during a difficult labor and delivery, is a paralysis or weakness of one arm. The condition involves the nerves in the neck and arm that control motion, strength and sensation in the arms. This type of injury may occur when the infant’s neck is stretched during delivery and when his or her head and shoulders travel through the birth canal. A number of brachial plexus palsy or Erb’s palsy cases occur because of medical negligence (carelessness).
Here are six common questions about Erb’s palsy, answered:
1. How common is Erb’s palsy?
While brachial plexus injuries are not common, they are not rare either. It is one of the most common injuries suffered by children during birth, and often due to medical negligence. According to the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, obstetric brachial plexus injuries, or Erb’s palsy, occurs in as many as 2.6 per 1,000 full-term live births.
2. What are the common symptoms of Erb’s palsy?
The nerves that make up the brachial plexus carry electrical signals from the brain to the arm, so that the arm and hand can feel and move. If nerves are injured, the muscles of the arm and hand may not receive all of the instructions from the brain. This many result in symptoms such as the affected arm not moving normally, the muscles in the arms starting to get weaker, and limited feeling or sensation in the affected arm. Children may also have other problems as a result of the injury such as a broken collar bone, a broken upper arm bone and Homer’s syndrome, where the eyelid droops and the pupil of the eye is slightly smaller on the same side as the weak arm.
3. What are the different types of Erb’s palsy?
The different types of brachial plexus palsy or Erb’s palsy are categorized based on the type and severity of the nerve damage experienced. They include:
Neuropraxia: This is often the mildest type of injury where the nerves of the brachial plexus are stretched.
Neuroma: This type of injury occurs when the nerve has attempted to heal, but there is scar tissue that has developed around the injury placing pressure on the damaged nerve praxis.
Rupture: This is when the nerve is torn, but not from the location where it is attached to the spine.
Avulsion: This is the most serious type of brachial plexus injury when the nerve is torn from the spinal cord.
4. How and why do brachial plexus injuries occur?
Brachial plexus palsy or Erb’s palsy occurs when there is a prolonged or difficult labor and delivery. It may occur when doctors or other medical staff members pull or tug the baby in different positions that are not normal and use excessive force. For example, when the baby is positioned feet first (breech position), Erb’s palsy can result from pulling the legs and feet, which causes the baby’s arms to go over the head, placing significant stress on the shoulders. Also, when the baby is too large to move through the birth canal, he or she can be squeezed and pushed, resulting in stress on the neck shoulders and arms. Brachial plexus palsy or Erb’s palsy can also occur with improper or incompetent use of birth-assistive tools such as a vacuum extraction tool or forceps.
5. Does Erb’s palsy cause long-term disabilities?
Sadly, brachial plexus injuries can result in long-term injuries and disabilities that prevent children from leading normal lives. Some treatments include physical therapy and daily exercises. In other cases, where the injury is more severe, children may require surgery to repair the injuries. Sometimes, Erb’s palsy is not curable. In such cases, children will have lifelong problems and will have to learn to cope with their disabilities for the rest of their lives.
6. Is Erb’s palsy preventable?
Yes, in many cases such injuries can be prevented had physicians or members of the medical team acted differently. Medical professionals are responsible for closely monitoring the mother and the fetus during the pregnancy and during labor and delivery. Monitoring the size of the baby throughout the pregnancy is also key. If there are risks, doctors should schedule a Cesarean section or C-section instead of a vaginal birth.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If your child has brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy), he or she may be able to receive compensation that may help pay for medical expenses, lost income, cost of therapy, future treatments, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. One of our clients secured a $2,850,000 verdict that was reduced by the appeals court to $1,846,000 because the verdict was so large. This was the highest amount upheld by the appellate (appeals) courts for many, many years. In addition we recovered $1,400,000 for a newborn who lost motion in the arm during birth due to doctors applying incorrect force on the baby’s head. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
We have seen many cases where New York City Health and Hospital Corporation facilities deliver babies who are born with cerebral palsy or Brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) stemming from negligence (carelessness), and/or medical malpractice in the labor and delivery etc. of the children.
The following list identifies some of these hospitals (operated by New York City Health and Hospital Corporation):
• Jacobi Hospital aka Bronx Municipal 1400 Pelham Parkway South Bronx, New York 10461 718-918-5000
• Lincoln Hospital 234 East 149th Street Bronx, New York 10451 718-579-5000
• North Central Bronx Hospital 3424 Kossuth Avenue Bronx, New York 10467 718-519-5000
• Coney Island Hospital 2601 Ocean Parkway Brooklyn, New York 11235 718-616-3000
• Kings County Hospital 451 Clarkson Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11203 718-245-3131
• Woodhull Hospital 760 Broadway Brooklyn, New York 11206 718-963-8000
• Bellevue Hospital 462 First Avenue New York, New York 10016 212-562-5555
• Harlem Hospital 506 Lenox Avenue New York, New York 10037 212-939-1000
• Metropolitan Hospital 1901 First Avenue New York, New York 10029 212-423-6262
• Elmhurst Hospital 79-01 Broadway Elmhurst, New York 11373 718-334-4000
• Queens Hospital Center 82-68 164th Street Jamaica, New York 11432 718-883-3000
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com