Bringing a child into the world can be one of the most incredible experiences of your life, but some mistakes made during the delivery can lead to devastating consequences. Many babies in Oregon and across the country suffer from Erb’s Palsy, a condition that can occur when a doctor makes crucial errors at the time of birth.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, if a doctor attempts to pull the baby from the birth canal and stretches the neck to the side, severe damage can occur. You will often become aware of the problem if you notice that your child has limited mobility in one arm. This can range from total paralysis to a localized weakness.
This type of injury can result in many different conditions, the most severe of which is an avulsion. In many avulsions, the nerve is completely pulled from the spinal cord and cannot be repaired. Other injuries may be fixed by grafting nerves from other areas of the body.
Ruptures are also severe and occur when the nerve is torn apart. This type of injury cannot heal on its own and will require treatment and surgery to be repaired.
A less severe type of Erb’s Palsy is a neurapraxia. In this injury, the nerve is stretched instead of torn and can often heal on its own. In some cases, the healing may result in scar tissue and prevent full recovery from happening. If this happens, it is referred to as a neuroma. This information is intended for your education and should not be taken as legal advice.