Erb's Palsy Treatment

Erb's Palsy is a birth injury that is usually caused by medical negligence or doctor malpractice. Usually occurring at birth, Erb's Palsy can lead to weakness or even paralysis of a baby's arm.

Statistics show that one or two out of every 1,000 newborns will suffer Erb's Palsy.

The majority of Erb's Palsy cases will resolve themselves before the child reaches the age of one year.

However, about one out of ten children with cerebral palsy will require exercise, therapy and, in extremely severe cases, even surgery.

Even with the best Erb's palsy treatment available today, children suffering from the most severe cases of Erb's palsy will continue to suffer considerable lifelong functional limitations as regards the use of the affected arm and hand.

If the Erb's palsy does not resolve itself, there are many ways treating of it.

If the birth injury is the result of medical or doctor malpractice, children who undergo these treatments (and their families) have a right to be compensation for medical bills and also for their pain and suffering.

Erb's palsy treatment:

• Non-surgical treatment
• Physical therapy and range of motion exercises
• Do this DAILY and as often as possible during the day.
• Start when your baby is about THREE WEEKS OLD.
• The exercises will maintain the range of motion in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand.
• This will prevent JOINT CONTRACTURE, a condition whereby the baby's joint becomes permanently stiff.
• Surgical treatment - Do not resort to surgical remedies UNLESS you have exhausted all non-surgical Erb's palsy treatments AND if there's no improvement in your baby's condition over the first three to six months.
• The doctor may discuss exploratory surgery on the nerves to improve the potential outcome.
• As of yet nerve surgery cannot restore the arm and hand's normal function. This procedure is usually not helpful for older infants. Bear in mind that nerves grow very slowly, and it may take from several months to several years for nerves repaired at the neck to eventually find their way to the muscles of the lower arm and hand.
  

Even after surgery, a lot of Erb's Palsy patients will continue to have some weakness in the affected shoulder and arm.

We never lose hope that someday medical science will discover a treatment that will restore this function.

Legal help and information for Erb's palsy victims

Erb's palsy lawyers and attorneys will offer free consultation or case evaluations to families whose children are diagnosed with Erb's Palsy.

A competent Erb's Palsy lawyer or attorney will see to it that any medical or doctor malpractice settlement or reward will include payments for future treatment and therapies, as well as pain and suffering.

Erb's Palsy lawyers can help families obtain compensation when their baby's injury was caused by medical negligence or doctor malpractice.

If your baby is suffering from Erb's Palsy and you believe that it was caused by medical negligence or doctor malpractice, then you and your child may have a cause of action or a legal right to claim medical compensation.

Speak to an experienced Erb's Palsy lawyer about your case immediately.

There is a statutory time limit called Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations. This means that generally, beyond this time limit, you can no longer bring an action against an obstetrician physician for doctor malpractice.

You need to act now by consulting an Erb's palsy lawyer or attorney and ask him about what available rights and options you have under the law.

Important facts about Erb's palsy and doctor malpractice

If you believe that your child acquired Erb’s palsy because of medical or doctor malpractice, please see an Erb’s palsy lawyer immediately. Your Erb’s palsy lawyer or medical lawyer is the best person to talk to if you believe you have a case against an obstetrician or doctor for causing injury to your baby.

IMPORTANT: There is a legal time limit, called Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations, within which you can file a claim for medical or doctor malpractice. Generally, beyond this time limit, you can no longer bring an action against any obstetrician or physician for doctor malpractice.

Circumstances wherein medical negligence or doctor malpractice has resulted in Erb's palsy or other brachial plexus injuries:

1. Failure to obtain a prior obstetrical history of the child's mother. For this purpose, a proper medical history should include history of diabetes, large babies as well as difficult deliveries involving problems similar to but not limited to shoulder dystocia;
2. Failure to check for and properly manage diabetes during pregnancy;
3. Failure to check for and appropriately manage the mother's excessive weight gain;
4. Failure during the third trimester to appropriately evaluate fetal size by ultrasound;
5. Failure to timely deliver a post-dates baby;
6. Failure to assign appropriately trained and qualified personnel to manage the delivery;
7. Failure to offer, in the setting of multiple risk factors, the option of cesarean section;
8. Failure to properly manage shoulder dystocia;
9. Application of fundal pressure (pressing the abdomen just below the belly button), which can actually worsen shoulder dystocia;
10. Excessive force or traction applied on the head or neck during delivery;
11. Improper or inappropriate use of forceps; and
12. Improper or inappropriate use of vacuum extractors.

It’s been found that a lot of cases involving brachial plexus injury that occur during childbirth are preventable. Obstetricians know or are supposed to know the risk factors that can increase the likelihood that a child will be born with a brachial plexus injury. Therefore the key to preventing a child from being born with this type of disability is identification and appropriate management of these risk factors.

What is Erb's Palsy?

Erb's palsy is the most common form of brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves. It is responsible for transmitting signals from the cervical spinal cord to the shoulder, arm, and hand.

In medical language “brachial” refers to the arm while “plexus” refers to a network of nerves.

Injury to the nerves of the brachial plexus can result in either partial or total paralysis of shoulder, arm, or hand muscles.

In most cases, damage to the brachial plexus happens at birth.

Erb's Palsy is a nerve injury that can hinder or limit the movement of a child's shoulder, arm, and hand.

The main cause of Erb's Palsy is too much force applied to the baby's head while trying to pull him or her out of the birth canal. When the shoulder of too large a baby is stuck in the birth canal, it is called “shoulder dystocia.”

A network of nerve fibers called the “brachial plexus,” or Erb's Point between the shoulder and the neck provide movement to the arm, hand, and fingers.

At birth, when the doctor pulls too hard on the baby's head, the nerve fibers become stretched resulting in an injury that can become permanent.

In most cases injury to these nerves are mild, and the baby eventually regains movement in a few months. Unfortunately, about 20% of Erb's palsy cases are so severe that the nerves are actually avulsed (torn from their points of attachment to the spine), or they may be ruptured, so that paralysis of the arm and shoulder is permanent.

If you believe your child acquired Erb’s palsy because of medical malpractice, please contact an Erb’s palsy attorney or doctor malpractice lawyer.

Please be aware that the law sets a time limit (called Medical Malpractice Statute of Limitations) for bringing an action against a physician or obstetrician for doctor malpractice. You need to act now by consulting an Erb's palsy lawyer or attorney and ask him about your available rights and options under the law.