Nearly two out of every thousand babies born has Erbs palsy. Erbs palsy is a condition that affects the nerves that provides movement and sensation to the arm, hand, and fingers. This may cause the newborn to be able to move one arm but not the other; while most infants with Erbs palsy will recover sensation and movement, it is beneficial to know how this condition works, how a baby can get it, and how to help a baby get full function and feeling back into the affected shoulder, arm, and fingers.

Almost all Erbs palsy conditions are caused by a brachial plexus injury. This injury is when the nerves in the baby’s neck are stretched or torn during a difficult delivery. The nerves to the arm, hand, and fingers exit the spinal cord between the bones of the neck and travel into the arm below the collarbone. The nerves to the arm exit high in the neck while those that go to the hand and fingers exit lower in the neck just above the chest. These nerves branch and join together near where the neck joins the shoulder in an area called the brachial plexus.

A brachial plexus injury most generally occurs in a newborn during the birthing process. If the baby is overly large or the birth canal smaller is than normal, the infant may become lodged in the birth canal. A breech presentation or a prolonged labor may also require more than normal assistance from a physician to get the baby delivered. Whenever the doctor has to exert a good amount of force to help the baby out of the birth canal, there is a possibility of a brachial plexus injury. If the upper nerves are affected, this is the condition known as Erbs palsy.

There are four different types of nerve injuries to the brachial plexus. Avulsion injuries are the most serious. This is when the nerve is torn from its attachment to the spinal cord. Rupture injuries are when the nerves are torn but not at the spinal cord. Neuroma injuries result from scar tissue that forms and puts pressure on the nerve, and the most common are stretch injuries. Stretch injuries are when the nerve is damaged but not torn. Normally these injuries heal on their own generally within three months.

When a newborn has his or her arm straight down at the side and will not move it, there is a possibility that he or she has Erbs palsy. Sometimes the affected arm may be slightly turned with a bent wrist and straight fingers. A droopy eyelid on the affected side may indicate a more severe injury to the brachial plexus.

In order to diagnose Erbs palsy a doctor will need to perform some tests. And X-ray or MRI may be ordered to see if there is any damage to the bones and joints of the neck and shoulder. The doctor may also use an electromyogram, or EMG, and conduct nerve studies to see if any nerve signals are present in the upper arm muscle.

Most babies recover without surgery. Recovery from Erbs palsy may take up to a full two years, but physical therapy and continual range of motion and stretching exercises will help speed the healing process. There are times, though, when the injury will not heal on its own. At that point, the baby may end up requiring nerve surgery. This surgery will generally not take place until the baby is at least three months old.

Since all infants’ brachial plexus injuries are caused by medical error, it is imperative that the child’s parents contact an attorney. Erbs palsy is not a hereditary condition but an acquired one. Parents whose child has Erbs palsy may be eligible to receive monetary compensation to help pay for physical therapy or nerve surgery, if the child requires it. A lawyer who is experienced in birth injury settlements would be best able to determine if the parent is entitled to compensation.