Erb's Palsy and Shoulder Dystocia: Facts

Erb's palsy and shoulder dystocia are a bit of a conundrum. On one hand, both these conditions are rare occurrences, with Erb's palsy affecting 1 in 2,000 children with only 10% of such affected children ever needing treatment. In the case of shoulder dystocia, the numbers are even lower, with the condition occurring in less than 1% of births.

Let's take a look at the rarer and more dangerous of the two -- shoulder Dystocia which occurs during the process of childbirth, when the shoulders of the baby don't enter the pelvis. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing when this might strike or which mothers or babies are more prone. However, your medical practitioner needs to be aware of the six maneuvers that can be used to alleviate the problem. Medical practitioners also need to know what to look for once the baby is born. Problems with erb's palsy and shoulder dystocia often happen when the attending physician is negligent.

Erb's palsy is a condition that occurs due to a brachial plexus injury to the child during the birthing process. There are two reasons why this condition isn't always given the care that it needs: Its occurrence is very rare and most infants tend to heal on their own with no problems. If Erb's palsy is more serious, the movement of the entire arm may be affected. Hence, Erb's palsy and shoulder dystocia need to be taken seriously to ensure the health and happiness of the affected child.

New surgery for children with brachial plexus injuries

Brachial plexus is a cluster of nerves that connects the arm and hands to the brain. About one in 500 newborns suffer brachial plexus injuries during birth. Children either grow out of the problem, have surgery or live with disabilities. The previous method of cutting a patch of nerve from another part of the body and grafting it around the damaged nerve has downsides because it would leave a numb patch elsewhere on the body.

The newer surgery is called a nerve transfer. During the six-hour microsurgery, he cut the crushed nerve that exchanged messages between the girl’s hand, arm, shoulder and brain and reconnected it to a healthy, redundant nerve that didn't have much purpose.

The toddler suffered an injury that paralyzed her left arm and cracked a bone in her neck. The surgery has been around for adults for years, but now that is available to infants so doctors can fix problems before they pass the point of repair.

After a few months, she was reaching over her head, an amazing feat.

Do you need an Erb's Palsy lawyer to fight for what is right?