Erb's Palsy Lawyers

A knowledgeable attorney can simplify the legal procedure. Erb's lawyers for children can help clients obtain financial compensation for their child's future medical needs.

Parents need to be able have confidence that their children will be cared for, even if they suffer from a life-changing accident. This can be a challenge to achieve when medical malpractice is involved.

Preventable Birth Injuries

Many birth injuries can be prevented. While some of them are caused by factors that are beyond the control of doctors like the location and size of the fetus within the pelvis or the birth canal, some aren't. Doctors must accurately assess the size and weight of a fetus. They can recommend a C-section if they feel that the baby is too big to be delivered via vaginally. This can prevent injuries to the fetus as well as the mother and often prevents the need for medically needed interventions.

If a physician fails to adhere to this rule and fails to follow the rules, it can result in injuries such as Erb's palsy or brachial plexus injury. These injuries occur when the nerves in the arm or shoulder are damaged in the course of delivery. Most often, they cause the inability to move or weakness in that body part for the rest of the life of the child. These conditions can be very costly to treat.

Families afflicted with these injuries often require financial compensation to pay the expenses. An erb's palsy attorney can fight to ensure that a family receives the most amount of compensation that is possible, which will help them with their financial burden and ensure an appropriate treatment for their child. A good erb's palsy lawyer will be honest about whether or not your case is strong and will do their best on your behalf.

Erb's Palsy Causes

Erb's Palsy is caused when the upper part of nerves in your arm, also known as the brachialplexus, gets injured. These nerves are responsible for transmitting messages to the muscles that allow them to move. If these nerves become damaged, they are unable to send signals in a proper manner. The arm will not move properly or at all. In the majority of instances, the injuries will heal with time. However, some infants can be permanently disabled.

Many cases of erb's spalsy occur when the baby's shoulder is stuck behind the pubic bone of the mother during birth, a condition called shoulder dystocia. The medical professionals who deliver the child have to exert force to loosen the shoulder and it can cause strain or tears to the healthy brachial plexus's nerves.

The nerves can be avulsed, meaning they are totally separated from the spinal column or neuroma, where the scar tissue presses against the nerve preventing it from sending signals – or neuropraxia - when nerves have been stretched but not ripped. The longer a damaged nerve persists, the harder it is to recover.

Preventing shoulder dystocias during labor requires communication between pregnant woman and the obstetrician as to the most secure place for delivery and how to react to any issues that arise during the birth. Unfortunately, many cases of Erb's Palsy result from medical inattention on the part of nurses and doctors who employ too much force in the delivery process.

Erb's Palsy Treatment

For babies with Erb's palsy the physical therapy they receive will focus on regaining a range of motion in their fingers and arms. Physical therapy is often paired with other treatments, such as hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is beneficial since it permits a baby to exercise in an environment that is anti-gravity which eases the pain caused by muscle spasms.

Other treatments include medications to lessen swelling and pain. A doctor may also splice or transplant healthy nerves from other parts of the body to replace damaged ones. This can restore flexibility, sensation and support to the arm.

Newborns with Erb's palsy may require surgery to repair a ruptured brachial plexus. A ruptured nerve, caused by tearing one or more nerves in the spine, is the most severe type of Erb's Palsy. The nerves injured can be reattached by doctors so that the nerves can heal. This procedure is generally successful and helps most children get back to full motion in their arms. However, some patients be permanently disabled due to the injury.

Erb's Palsy Settlements

While some children who suffer from Erb's palsy can overcome the limitations created by the condition by undergoing daily physical therapy, many require surgery to repair nerve damage. Medical malpractice lawsuits can help families receive the right amount of compensation for their child's injuries.

Your lawyer will confer with experts to determine the cost of treatment. This is referred to as value of the case. The value of your case will depend on how serious the injury is and the impact it has on your child's future. Your lawyer will attempt to recover the cost of life-care, future medical expenses, and other damages.

Your lawyer will send an official demand letter to the doctor or hospital responsible for your child's injuries. The letter will describe the injuries sustained by your child, and the ways in which they were triggered due to medical negligence. The letter will also state the amount of compensation you're seeking.

The at-fault doctor will then have the option to negotiate a settlement. This is a much less costly alternative to a trial. If your attorney builds an argument that is convincing the medical professional who is at fault might be willing to negotiate a settlement out of court with you and your child to avoid the negative publicity that comes with a trial. The funds from a settlement will be deposited in an account to cover medical expenses and other costs of your child.