Brachial plexus injuries can be a serious concern caused by childbirth complications. One to two out of every 1,000 babies have this condition, also known as Erb’s palsy.

A brachial plexus injury is a medical term for damage to an important nerve cluster in the shoulder. The nerves in the brachial plexus control and receive signals from the arm. Some syndromes like Erb’s Palsy are subtypes of brachial plexus injuries, where certain nerves of the brachial plexus are injured, causing more specific damage and symptoms.

Brachial Plexus Causes

There are many possible causes of a brachial plexus injury, but birth injury is of special concern. It is often caused when a newborn’s neck is stretched to the side during a difficult delivery.

During traumatic childbirth, the brachial plexus is a weak spot that can be severely injured in a child. Since infants cannot express what they feel, this possible birth injury can go undetected, and typically, when brachial plexus injuries are finally diagnosed, they are typically very severe cases.

This inability to diagnose a brachial plexus injury right away can result in further complications like atrophy (weakened, shrunken muscles) in the muscles controlled by the braical plexus, as well as permanent disability.

Brachial plexus injuries can occur in adults as well, most often from physical trauma to the shoulder, or less commonly from inflammation, cancerous and benign tumors, and even radiation damage.

Brachial Plexus Symptoms

The symptoms of brachial plexus Erb’s palsy vary with the severity of the damage. Adults with brachial plexus injuries describe mild brachial plexus injuries as causing an electric burning sensation in the arm. Mild cases also typically include numbness and weakness in the affected arm.

More severe cases typically have similar symptoms, but scaled up. Patients may have much more severe pain in the arm, as well as total numbness, and full-on paralysis. Sometimes, the mildest cases of brachial plexus injuries can actually heal on their own. However, more severe cases of require surgical correction. And the most serious brachial plexus injuries may not be curable, leaving victims with permanent nerve damage and lifelong disability.

Luckily, most infants with brachial plexus Erb’s palsy can recover normal movement and feeling with daily physical therapy exercises. This recovery can take up to two years. Other patients may require surgical treatment if no improvement in the nerves is noted within the first 3 to 6 months. This can include a nerve graft or nerve transfer.

Birth Injury Lawsuits

Brachial plexus injuries can result in birth injury lawsuits. Birth injury lawsuits typically allege that physicians attending to the birth caused the injury or worsened it through negligence or other types of malpractice.

Birth injury lawsuits typically seek to recoup compensation for medical costs, occupational therapy, as well as lost income potential and other costs allegedly stemming from the brachial plexus injury. Since brachial plexus injuries may not be obvious until a child is old enough to use their arms regularly, making the deficiency more obvious. The complications from a birth injury like brachial plexus damage can last a lifetime.