When diagnosing Erb's Palsy

Erb's Palsy is the name of an illness that some are diagnosed with. The symptoms of this condition can be diagnosed when a baby is born. When the brachal plexus of an infant has been damaged, this illness results. This refers to the bundle of nerves enveloping the shoulder. Some medical professionals also refer to this disorder as Klumpke paralysis, brachial plexus palsy, and Erb-Duchenned.

When diagnosing Erb's Palsy, weakness or lack of motion in the arm is often a symptom that is looked for. A range of impairment can be seen in children with this condition, ranging from an avulsion, in which the nerve and spine are no longer connected, to a rupture, in which the nerve is torn. Although a scale is used to denote the level of impairment, with each level being given differing names, all fall under the umbrella of Erb's Palsy.

The causes of Erb's Palsy are nerve related. The brachial plexus, the source of the sensation and range of motion in the arms, hands, and fingers, is a nerve bundle in the neck area, which receives messages from the arms. This condition is present from the moment of birth, often resulting from the child's shoulder becoming immobilized by the mother's cervix.

Medical literature refers to this affliction as shoulder dystosia. The brachial nerves become dislodged when this takes place, as the infant's shoulders have difficulty proceeding through the birth canal. Brachial nerve damage may result when the force on the infant's shoulders becomes too much to bear, which often takes place when the shoulders become lodged in the cervix of the mother. If baby is breach, meaning that the baby is coming out feet first, the arms are usually raised and they can be injured due to excessive pressure.

Erb's Palsy cases are still seen, in spite of the many advances in the procedures used for delivering babies. Those babies that are especially large might experience problems even with these advanced techniques. For babies that are especially large, the nerves become more susceptible to damage at the moment of birth. Parents may be comforted to learn that often, this injury to the nerves will heal, resulting in a full recovery to the arm in 6 to 12 months. The patient will not be able to recover if an avulsion or ruptured nerve has occurred, but if the problem has been caused by neuroma or neuropraxia, the conditions are more favorable.

Unfortunately, recovery is not possible in the avent of an avulsion or rupture, because permanent damage has been caused by scarring or detachment of the nerve.

It is possible, even when irreversible injury has resulted from Erb's Palsy, for the amount of the patient's impairment to be reduced if therapy is administered early.

Exercises for the purpose of improving mobility, and massages, can be administered as well, which may result in improvement of the muscles. Surgery is sometimes the only alternative for patients with more extreme injuries. If the nerves are so impaired that their functionality is diminished completely, a transplant of tendons may be beneficial.

It may be beneficial to speak to an attorney if you suspect that there are treatment options that are not being explored for your child. Because Erb's Palsy is an extremely specialized type of case, it is imperative to seek an Erb's Palsy attorney who is qualified to handle it.

If you found this article useful, you can discover more free information on erb's palsy that gives you detailed information about what else you can do if your child has developed it. Erb's palsy can also happen because of medical malpractice. Find out what your options are here.