Birth Injury Attorneys

Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries

The Brachial Plexus is a network of nerves running from the spine to the shoulder, arm, and hand. Injuries occur commonly during the birth of a child when the baby’s shoulders become impacted, causing the nerves to stretch or tear. Four main types of injuries exist: avulsion, rupture, neuroma, and neuropraxia. In avulsion, the nerve is physically torn from the spine. In a rupture, the nerve is torn but not from the spine. In a neuroma, the nerve was torn and has since healed, but with scar tissue that prevents proper signal conduction to muscles. Finally, in a neuropraxia, the nerve has been damaged but not torn.

Symptoms of a Brachial Plexus injury include a paralyzed or limp arm, lack of muscle control in the arm or hand, or a lack of sensation or feeling in the arm. Many children who are injured in birth improve or recover by the age of three to four months. However, for avulsion and rupture injuries, there is no chance of recovery unless surgery is performed quickly to reconnect the nerve. For less serious injuries, physical therapy is recommended, in order to keep up muscle activity and to keep the joints from getting stiff.

Brachial Plexus birth injuries, a condition otherwise known as Erb’s Palsy, affect one or two out of every thousand births. Difficult deliveries involving a large baby, breech presentation, or prolonged labor are especially prone to Brachial Plexus birth injuries. Sometimes, when a delivery is rushed and the baby must be birthed quickly, force is applied to pull the baby from the birth canal. Excessive force can stretch or tear the infant’s nerves, resulting in lifelong physical disability for the child.

If your baby has suffered a traumatic birth injury such as a Brachial Plexus stretch or tear, contact the experienced birth injury lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 866.950.9000.