What is Erb’s Palsy?

There are a range of birth injuries that can cause short or long-term harm to a baby. Some birth injuries are brain injuries that cause conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while other birth injuries cause physical impairments like numbness or paralysis. Erb’s palsy is one of the top 10 most common birth injuries. It is a difficult condition caused by a physical injury during delivery, and its negative symptoms range from mild to serious based on the gravity of the injury.

If your child has been diagnosed with Erb’s palsy from a birth injury, contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer right away. He or she will help you determine whether your infant’s birth injury was the result of medical negligence and whether you have a case for medical malpractice.

What is Erb’s Palsy?

Erb’s palsy is a form of obstetric brachial plexus disorder. It is created by an injury that occurs when the nerves in a baby’s upper arm are damaged. About one or two of every 1,000 babies born are affected by the injury. Erb’s palsy typically happens as a result of a cut or other wound at Erb’s point, the area near the baby’s neck where the fifth and sixth cranial nerves meet to create the upper point of the brachial plexus.

The function of the nerves in the brachial plexus is to give movement and feeling to the baby’s arm, hand and fingers. The most common cause of Erb’s palsy is shoulder dystocia that happens during a difficult birth. Infants with this condition usually lose movement in the affected shoulder or upper arm but may be able to wiggle their fingers. In some cases, the injury affects the whole trunk which can hamper the spinal cords ability to send messages to the arm, wrist, hand or fingers through regular nerve impulses. It is common for the arm to look paralyzed in babies with Erb’s palsy.

Note that a more serious injury can occur if nerves on both the upper and lower ends of the brachial plexus are stretched and injured. This condition is called total or global brachial plexus palsy.

What causes Erb’s palsy?

Erb’s palsy typically happens during a difficult labor in one of three ways. All of the following situations can be exacerbated when the baby is disproportionately bigger than the birth canal.

Most common causes of Erb’s palsy:

• When the baby is passing through the birth canal at an awkward angle with the head turned in one direction while the arm is pulled in the opposite direction.
• Excessive pulling on the shoulders, which is common when the baby is delivered face-first (cephalic presentation).
• When the baby is delivered through the birth canal in a breech birth, the brachial plexus nerves can be stressed and injured when the baby’s arms are pulled backward over the head by the delivering physician. The arms are stretched backward over the head when the physician pulls the newborn too forcefully from the birth canal by the legs. In some of these situations, shoulder dislocation also occurs but the forceful stretching always causes nerve damage to the brachial plexus.

Risk factors of Erb’s palsy

Excessive lateral traction and stretching the baby’s head and neck during delivery can be the cause of Erb’s palsy but the chances of developing the condition triple if the infant develops shoulder dystocia.

Additional erb’s palsy risk factors:

• When forceps and/or vacuum extraction tools are used during delivery
• Large infant size relative to the mother’s size
• Small maternal size
• Too much maternal weight gain
• Second stage of labor lasting over an hour
• Infants with high birth weight
• Infants situated in breech position

What are the signs of Erb’s palsy?

Erb’s palsy symptoms can range from signs of weakness or soreness to total or partial paralysis of the arm. Your baby may have Erb’s palsy if he or she exhibits one or more of the following symptoms:

• A limp arm that is held against the side of the body and bent at the elbow
• Weak grip with the hand on the affected side
• Partial or full paralysis of the arm
• No sensory function in the upper arm of the affected area
• Loss of motor function in the upper arm in the affected area
• Arm numbness
• Damaged circulatory, muscular and nervous system development

The Seattle personal injury attorneys at Morrow Kidman Tinker Macey-Cushman, PLLC have years of experience representing families harmed by medical malpractice, birth injuries and other personal injuries. We seek justice for patients who have been harmed by preventable medical errors including wrongful death, catastrophic injuries and traumatic brain injuries in Seattle and across Washington State. There are no fees or expenses to file a personal injury case as we only receive payment if we recover damages on your behalf. Do not delay; personal injury claims come with a statute of limitations, which means they must be filed within a certain time frame of the injury.

Call us now at (206) 752-4366 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with one of our compassionate, experienced Seattle injury lawyers. We are ready to fight for you.