How Can I Tell if My Baby Has Erb's Palsy?

Erb’s palsy may show varying degrees of weakness or paralysis of the shoulder, arm, or hand. A baby with Erb’s palsy usually holds her limp arm down by her side with forearm turned inward and wrist bent. The baby is unable to lift the arm. A baby with a very bad Erb’s palsy injury may have a droopy eyelid on the side that was injured, in addition to an injury to his arm and hand.

Do babies with Erb's palsy have pain?

Babies will suffer moderate to severe pain and intense tingling. Babies have impaired muscular, nervous, and circulatory development. The affected arm will be much weaker than the unaffected arm. The affected arm will lack circulatory development and will be unable to regulate temperature which is not safe during cold weather. Also the skin on the affected arm takes longer to heal with frequent infections.

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What percent of babies with Erb's palsy regain full use of arm?

If surgery is done between 4 and 12 months, restoration of function to the upper extremities has an 85 to 95 percent success rate. By age 2, there is no drastic improvement. Long term Erb’s palsy victims may require special adaptive equipment and lifestyle modifications.

My baby has brachial palsy: What should I do?

In mild cases, no action may be needed following a brachial palsy diagnosis. Some less serious symptoms will clear up on their own. Other brachial palsy babies are not as fortunate. These babies will need medication, repeated physical therapy and testing and in some cases surgery.

You should contact a birth injury lawyer to find out if there is a medical malpractice lawsuit on the horizon. Nerve damage to your baby caused by shoulder dystocia is mostly preventable. Brachial palsy and Erb’s palsy are frequently caused by medical negligence.

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Parents of a baby with brachial palsy will have numerous medical bills and medical equipment which your health insurance probably won’t cover. Parents of a baby with brachial palsy will need to take time off work and rearrange their lives to accommodate surgery, physical therapy, doctor visits, and surgery.

Filing a brachial palsy birth injury lawsuit is the prudent thing to do.