Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries

Understanding Your Rights

The birth of a new child should be filled with joy – not the devastating reality of a serious birth injury. Brachial plexus injuries are one of the most common types of birth injuries. If your baby suffered a brachial plexus injury during birth, call a personal injury attorney from Morris, Dewett & Savoie, LLC today.

Why choose our firm?

With more than 70 years of legal experience behind us, we have the skill and practical knowledge to help you recover the compensation you deserve for your child's injury. We are members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, a group dedicated only to legal professionals who have successfully recovered multiple million dollar awards for clients in both settlements and verdicts. To learn more about Morris, Dewett & Savoie, LLC or to see what we can do for your medical malpractice birth injury case, call our office today. With a lawyer from our firm working on your side, you can have peace of mind that your case is in good hands.

What is brachial plexus injury?

The brachial plexus is a network of nerves running form your spinal cord to your shoulder and through your neck. It regulates arm, should and hand movement. Brachial plexus injuries may result in decreased mobility, lack of muscle control, paralysis in the arm, and a decreased ability to move the hand, wrist or arm. Additionally, a damaged brachial plexus may leave the victim unable to feel in his/her arm.

When the nerves in the brachial plexus become stretched, the victim may suffer a condition called "neurapraxia." Neurapraxia occurs when the brachial plexus is stretch or shocked but not significantly damaged. Generally speaking, brachial plexus stretch injuries heal by themselves within three months of the initial trauma. Although this type of injury is most commonly seen in infants, adults may suffer neurapraxia as well. Although it does not usually result in lasting damaged, it can be painful.

Avulsion Injuries

Rupture injuries occur when the baby's nerves are torn apart. Ruptu red brachial plexus injuries do not usually heal without medical attention and may require surgery to be repaired effectively. Avulsion is the most serious form of brachial plexus birth injury. Avulsion occurs when the roots of the brachial plexus nerves are detached form the spinal cord. This type of injury will not heal by itself and may require surgical repair. Sometimes, avulsion injuries cannot be fully repaired and leave the victim with lasting damage.

Brachial Plexus Birth Injury Risk Factors

There are a variety of factors that may increase your child's likelihood of sustaining a brachial plexus birth injury.Although some birth injuries are natural, brachial plexus injuries may be caused by careless doctors, too. For example, if the doctor rotates the child incorrectly during delivery, it may suffer an unnecessary brachial plexus injury.

Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injuries

Although brachial plexus injuries are not life threatening, severe injuries may leave the child with life-long medical complications. For instance, Erb's Palsy is a common condition associated with brachial plexus birth injuries. An infant with Erb's Palsy may hold his/her arm straight with the wrist completely bent. Many times, the child will be able to use his/her hand but have little or no control over the rest of the arm.

Erb's Palsy may leave the infant with decreased muscle tone in his/her biceps and deltoid muscles in the rest of the arm. Global Palsy – another condition a commonly associated with Erb's Palsy – may leave the child with no movement in the arm, hand or shoulder. Depending on the extent of the nerve damaged, traumatic brachial plexus injuries may result in ptosis and myosis in the child's eye.