Erb’s palsy is a childhood illness that affects between two and three out of every 1,000 live births in the United States. This incidence rate makes it a common childhood illness. It is sometimes referred to as a brachial plexus injury. The brachial plexus contains the nerves that control the shoulder and arm. Damage to it can affect a person’s ability to move and feel in the arm. Damage can also inhibit a person’s ability to move the hands or fingers in certain ways. Some of these issues are transitory and heal and some can become permanent.
If your child has Erb’s palsy or suffered a birth complication during birth, we are here to help you handle your case. The Birth Injury Lawyers Group was founded on the belief that everyone should exercise their right to seek financial compensation for injuries and damages that they were unfairly made to suffer. Our team of seasoned birth injury attorneys can be reached today for a free case consultation at (800) 222-9529.
Root Causes of Erb’s Palsy
Brachial plexus injuries can happen at any time, anywhere, and in many different ways. The most common sources of injury to the brachial plexus are listed below.
- Activity and sports accidents
- Vehicular accidents
- Child abuse
- Violence
- Birth injuries
- Medical negligence
When it comes to birth injuries and medical malpractice, here are a few examples of how they can contribute to or cause nerve damage.
- The administration of an incorrect dosage of labor drugs.
- A failure to conduct testing that could have brought a birth complication to light.
- Incorrectly reading tests.
- Incorrectly using devices to forcibly remove a baby from the mother.
- A failure to test for viruses or bacteria that can cause an injury such as inflammation of the brain or jaundice.
For all of these cases, you would have to identify who was responsible for the errors, actions, or omissions that led to an injury, why those events occurred, what kinds of damage came about as a result, and what expenses the victims were made to suffer. This is where we can help you by collecting evidence, interviewing the delivery team, gathering medical records, quantifying medical bills and other expenses, and putting together a claim for the maximum damages you are entitled to according to the letter of the law.
"If your child was born with a birth injury, or cerebral palsy, we can help."
Erb’s Palsy Symptoms
Different forms of nerve damage can have different symptoms. Mild forms of nerve damage may not lead to any functional issues in the patient, making it difficult to diagnose the issue. Severe forms of damage can inhibit the healthy development of a limb and may leave a person with lifelong injuries.
Patients who suffer extensive nerve damage can experience the following issues:
- Limited motor control in the arm between the shoulders and fingers.
- An inability to use or feel all of or parts of the arm.
- A burning or electrical sensation that travels down the arm, causing pain or discomfort.
- Muscle degeneration due to a lack of use.
- A shortening of the bones–called a contracture–because of nerve abnormalities.
Sparks Erbs Palsy Lawyer Near Me 1-800-222-9529
How to Treat Erb’s Palsy
Most cases of Erb’s palsy–at least the mild and moderate cases that involve basic nerve damage such as stretched or pinched nerves–can heal themselves. Extreme cases usually require therapy and conditioning as well as surgery. If a patient loses his or her ability to move or feel the arms, fingers, wrists, or shoulders, it can take a lot of exercise and stimulation to relearn these movements and regrow the connections that were damaged in a birth injury.
Birth injuries that result in torn or severed nerves are sometimes treated with grafts and transfers of healthy nerves from other parts of the body to the target area that has been affected by a brachial plexus injury. Such treatments are costly, they may not be available where you live, they can take time to schedule, and they are highly invasive. They are also not guaranteed to work even if you can arrange to have one performed.
Before surgeries can take place, you will also have to screen and prep the patient with the likes of imaging studies, blood tests, electrical conductivity tests, and nerve impulse tests. Medications and therapy may also be needed, along with arranging caretakers, going to and from doctor appointments and therapist meetings, and taking time off work. The costs of doing so can quickly exhaust your physical and financial reserves, and this is why it is highly recommended that you speak with an attorney for assistance with your case.
"We know first-hand what you are going through."
How We Help
The Birth Injury Lawyers Group prides itself as a leading provider of birth injury legal services. We can:
- Gather evidence to support your claims by interviewing the medical team that delivered your child, getting a hold of testimony from medical malpractice professionals to support your claim, and investigating the medical background of the delivery team to dig up past cases of malpractice.
- Help you identify and quantify the expenses directly caused by your child’s injuries. These usually include lost income, caretaker fees, therapy and rehab fees, and payments made to specialists that can help your child regain sensation and control of his or her injured arm.
- Gather and file the right forms and applications with the right departments to make sure that you fulfill all regulatory and legal deadlines. Doing this is an important part of winning a claim.
Dealing with injuries to a loved one can be physically, emotionally, and financially taxing. We are here to help you do what you need to do to secure the physical and financial security of your family. Save yourself from the stress and confusion of dealing with medical and insurance laws and representatives of those who injured your child. We can help you take care of everything needed to file a claim, pursue the claim in court if necessary, and negotiate with the other parties involved in your damages claim. Call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group at (800) 222-9529.
"We are committed to helping families who have suffered medical negligence."