Obstetric brachial plexus injuries (OBPI) affect between 0.15 and three out of every 1,000 infants born in various states and countries. Erb’s palsy is one form of this that involves damage to nerves between vertebrae C5 and C6, and it can lead to varying degrees of paralysis in the arm, as well as weakness, muscle atrophy, and a loss of fine motor skills. It may occur when nerves in the brachial plexus, which control sensation and movement between the shoulders and the fingers, sustain damage via stretching, physical trauma, or gene mutations.
Was your child diagnosed with Erb’s palsy in High Point, North Carolina? If so the team of High Point Erb’s palsy lawyers at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group may be able to help your family deal with the physical, medical, financial, and legal fallout of an Erb’s palsy case. Call our team at (800) 222-9529 for a free case evaluation. If your case warrants a claim, we may be able to help you file a claim, find the care and assistance your child needs, and chart out a rehabilitation program for your child.
For a free legal consultation with High Point Erb's Palsy lawyer, call 1-800-222-9529
Causes of Erb’s Palsy
Erb’s palsy is caused by an injury to the brachial plexus, a system of nerves in the neck. These nerves run from the spine and through the neck all the way to the shoulder.
Injury to the nervous system may be caused in a number of ways, including motor vehicle accidents, child abuse, and physical activities. Two other common causes of the injuries that lead to Erb’s palsy are birth injuries and North Carolina medical malpractice. An Erb’s palsy injury lawyer may be able to help you determine whether or not malpractice played a potential role in causing or aggravating your child’s injuries.
Consider the following scenario: A doctor should monitor the health of the mother and her child before, during, and soon after birth to mitigate the likelihood of, and to reduce the impacts of, potential birth injuries. If your child was abnormally large or moved within the womb in such a way that he or she was going to be delivered feet-first, these facts should have been tested for and identified by your doctor and care team beforehand so that they could have possibly taken appropriate steps in response to them.
Handling an emergency delivery may involve the performance of a C-section or quickly delivering the child using devices such as forceps or vacuum extractors. Doing so can be dangerous, but failing to do so if needed may lead to more serious issues such as brain cell death.
However, even in emergency delivery cases and C-section operations, medical negligence may be provable if, for example, the doctor used too much force to deliver the baby or was guilty of misreading or incorrectly reading test results. Worse yet, the doctor may have not performed tests that could have helped mitigate or prevent injuries to the baby. Serious injuries may last years or even a lifetime, and they are not to be taken lightly so you should try to seek financial compensation for any such injuries possibly inflicted on your child by medical staff. The Birth Injury Lawyers Group may be able to help by assigning a High Point Erb’s palsy lawyer to review your case. Call our team today at (800) 222-9529 to get help.
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Treatments for Erb’s Palsy
Treating Erb’s palsy may involve identifying the underlying cause of an illness and determining why the symptoms may have developed or manifested the way they have. Mild cases of OBPI may lead to a burning sensation that shoots down the arm, numbness or weakness in the arm, or an inability to move the arm, shoulders, wrists, or fingers.
Severe cases of Erb’s palsy may result in excruciating pain, especially in cases where the nerve roots become detached from the spine, as well as varying degrees of paralysis.
Mild documented cases of Erb’s palsy may heal on their own through means like physical therapy (PT). Serious cases, however, may require long-term PT to improve motor skills and strength. Occupational therapy may also be needed so the affected individual can start to learn important life-skills needed to live as independently as possible given the presence of a palsy-related disability. In some cases, emotional and social therapies may be needed to help the affected individual adjust to living in society.
Extreme cases may require patients to undergo surgery to reattach severed nerves to the spinal cord, transfer healthy nerves to the affected part of the body, or transfer muscle to the affected part of the body. These treatments can be expensive and are often the last resort, as are tests such as MRIs, CT scans, and EEGs that may be required by doctors to accurately assess how much damage has occurred and how it should be treated.
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How a High Point Erb’s Palsy Lawyer May Help
If your child has sustained a birth injury or was formally diagnosed with Erb’s palsy, or if you are simply unsure about what to do, a lawyer may be able to help with the following:
- Determining whether or not your child’s case warrants a claim for medical malpractice.
- Collecting evidence needed to support your claim.
- Interviewing the medical team responsible for your child’s delivery, and obtaining the testimony of legal and medical malpractice professionals in support of a case.
- Identifying and quantifying any costs or damages associated with your child’s condition that you may be entitled to file a claim for, such as treatment costs, medicines, checkups, and diagnostic tests.
- Calculating lost income to include in your damages claim.
- Ensuring that you file the right paperwork, with the right agencies, at the right time, and that you meet all regulatory, administrative, and legal deadlines. Doing so may help your claim stand up in court if your case goes to trial.
If negligence or medical malpractice led to your child’s injuries such as Erb’s palsy, or if your family received a birth injury diagnosis but you are unsure what happened, reach out to the Birth Injury Lawyers Group at (800) 222-9529.
Our High Point Erb’s palsy lawyer team takes cases on a contingency-fee basis, so you pay nothing upfront and we only collect legal fees if you win compensation or a settlement from the at-fault parties identified in your claim.
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