Between conception and birth, a baby passes through many stages called pathways. Different pathways include physical development, changing orientation within the mother before birth, and the birth itself. Several factors determine whether or not a baby successfully passes through each pathway up until a health delivery occurs. If something goes awry along the way, it can lead to an injury, physical damage of some sort, or a disability. Some of these injuries may last for months, others for years.
A great example of this is when a child develops Erb’s palsy. Erb’s palsy is an illness that is caused by damage to the brachial plexus, an important bundle of nerves near the neck. These nerves control the arms, hands, and fingers. Damage to these nerves can lead to issues with sensation and motor control in the parts of the body that these nerves connect to. Brachial plexus damage can occur during any pregnancy pathway, and in many cases, it is entirely preventable.
If your child suffered a birth injury or was diagnosed with Erb’s palsy, we can help. Contact our Laredo Erb’s palsy lawyer at the Birth Injury Lawyers Group for a free case evaluation. Call now at (800) 222-9529.
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Causes and Symptoms
Erb’s palsy is a brachial plexus injury that can affect the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers, and it can affect sensation as well as movement. Where and how your child suffers some form of paralysis or weakness depends on where along the brachial plexus an injury was sustained. Some nerves connect to the shoulder only, and others connect to the arm and the fingers.
Depending on which pathway a child sustains an injury in and which part—and how badly—the brachial plexus was damaged, a patient may have:
- Difficulty moving the arm in specific ways
- Issues with sensation
- Overly floppy or stiff muscles in one arm
- Pain or tingling in the fingers and hand of the affected arm
Now that we know about the symptoms, what causes Erb’s palsy?
Our Laredo Erb’s palsy lawyer can help you identify the likely cause of your child’s ailments. This can be a great help to you if your child’s doctor is unable—or, unwilling—to do so.
Erb’s palsy can be caused by:
- Large baby size: Babies that are too big in proportion to the mother may become stuck inside the womb or birth canal. This can happen if the mother is small in size or as a result of gestational diabetes, a condition that causes the fetus to grow very large.
- C-section deliveries can lead to nerve injuries that cause Erb’s palsy.
- Doctor inexperience: As a result of a lack of training, a doctor may make delivery room errors or incorrectly use assistive devices to extract a baby from the mother, causing the baby harm in the process.
Other types of preventable errors such as errors in reading reports, misinterpreting test results, a failure to perform important tests before the delivery, not recognizing signs of fetal distress, or a failure to take preventive steps when they were medically required can all lead to nerve damage and the development of Erb’s palsy.
Some birth injuries only become apparent several weeks or months after a baby is born. This can further complicate matters for you because a failure to initiate treatment for Erb’s palsy can cause your child’s nerve injuries to become permanent. This is why the parents of children who suffered a birth injury should seek immediate treatment for their child.
However, be sure to seek legal representation while doing so, because performing an incorrect treatment can lead to other unexpected consequences. You must follow the guidance of your doctor and your lawyer if you are to succeed in seeking compensation for the damages your child suffered. If you do not, it may be difficult to win compensation for the injuries in question, especially if you failed to file a malpractice claim when your child’s injuries were initially identified.
Call the Birth Injury Lawyers Group today at (800) 222-9529 today for more details.
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Forms of Compensation
If your child suffers from Erb’s palsy, you will likely be very busy with setting up tests to identify the cause, location, and extent of your child’s injuries, as well as discussing your child’s care and treatment options with experts who can help you manage the type of injury your child has.
For the long-run stability of your family, however, it is important that you do not neglect the issue of paying for care and treatment. If you have reason to believe that negligence or a preventable delivery room error was the cause of your child’s injuries, you must speak to a Laredo Erb’s palsy lawyer to discuss your options for compensation and damages. Depending on the specifics of your case and the actions that your child’s doctor took—or did not take—during delivery or soon thereafter, you may have grounds for filing a claim for:
- The costs of doctor visits
- Payments for assistive devices
- Money spent on medications
- The costs of therapy and treatments
- Surgery costs
- Lost income from missing work while caring for your child
- Pain and suffering damages
These costs can quickly add up, so you owe it to your family to seek compensation from any at-fault parties responsible for harming your child if you are able to do so.
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Call a Laredo Erb’s Palsy Lawyer Today
Our Laredo Erb’s palsy lawyer is here to help you navigate the complex world of medical malpractice and insurance laws. We will help you find the treatment and care your child needs and file a malpractice claim if the circumstances surrounding your child’s birth points to negligence as the cause of your child’s injuries.
After determining whether or not you have a case, we will collect proof of the damages you were made to suffer in the form of medical costs, treatments, and medications.
These are all the initial steps you must take while handling an Erb’s palsy diagnosis. You must also deal with hospital administration and insurance personnel. At the Birth Injury Lawyers Group, we have experience handling these types of issues, so call us today for a free case evaluation at (800) 222-9529.
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