A brachial plexus injury (BPI) is extremely distressing. It significantly limits the victim’s use of one or both upper limbs, making it challenging or impossible to perform everyday tasks and job responsibilities. This may cause people to lose their jobs, go bankrupt, get depressed, and even consider suicide.
Many occurrences of Erb’s palsy can be traced back to a medical professional you believe would treat you or your loved ones with the utmost competence.
Many adults suffer from Erb’s palsy because of preventable medical errors, sports, and automobile accidents.
Find out more about how filing a claim for compensation for Erb’s palsy might help you recover damages and achieve justice if you believe your condition was caused by medical negligence.
What Is Erb’s Palsy?
Erb’s palsy is a form of shoulder or arm paralysis that can develop from a congenital disability or an acquired trauma during birth or later in life. Palsy is another name for partial or complete loss of muscle function.
Erb’s palsy is caused by injury to the C5 and C6 vertebrae brachial plexus nerves, responsible for movement and innervation of the arm’s muscles. As a result, the victim suffers weakness or paralysis of the affected arm. Because of muscular atrophy and impaired bone growth, people with Erb’s palsy may have significant discrepancies in limb length and size.
Signs and Symptoms of Erb’s Palsy
Depending on the severity of the condition, adults can suffer either short-term or long-term symptoms.
Erb’s palsy presents itself through these signs and symptoms:
- Hypoesthesia: This is characterized by a decrease or total absence of sensitivity in the affected arm
- Myasthenia: This condition presents itself as weakness in the muscle, and in Erb’s palsy, the weakness in the arm is due to a damaged nerve
- Monoplegia: This is medical terminology for the paralysis of limb muscles. If you have Erb’s palsy, the affected arm becomes paralyzed due to trauma.
File an Erb’s Palsy Lawsuit With Justpoint
Can You Get Money for having Erb’s Palsy or brachial plexus injury? When you suffer from a disabling condition like Erb’s palsy, you can file a claim for compensation to seek financial damages.
If you were hurt and developed Erb’s palsy out of a medical error, you might be able to file a lawsuit to seek compensation. An Erb palsy settlement will pay for any medical, surgical, and other costs you incur due to the malpractice.
Contact Justpoint to speak with a personal injury lawyer. We have the legal and medical knowledge to get you the maximum compensation you deserve.
Reasons to File an Erbs Palsy Lawsuit
Claim settlements in Erb’s palsy cases give victims’ families a sense of closure and vindication and also help families pay for medical care and therapy for nerve damage.
High medical costs make it difficult for families to care for loved ones with Erb’s palsy. According to research, some of the most severe cases of Erb’s palsy malpractice have been documented in low-income families. File a lawsuit quickly to get the best payout possible.
Injuries sustained due to a healthcare professional’s carelessness can guarantee financial compensation. If the plaintiff can show that the doctor’s carelessness caused their client Erb’s palsy, they have a case. It may take a long and complicated process, including a medical practitioner, to prove that wrongdoing has occurred in the healthcare industry.
When Should I File an Erb’s Palsy Lawsuit?
Legal action must be taken immediately to avoid severe complications from Erb’s palsy. The sooner a case is filed, the better because brachial plexus litigation can assist victims and their family members access potentially life-changing treatment.
Living With Erb’s Palsy
Living with Erb’s palsy can be challenging, especially upsetting for people who feel left out during sports activities such as basketball and netball requiring upper limbs. Erb’s palsy patients may also experience challenges riding a bike, as steering using one arm is dangerous and not recommended.
Although complete nerve restoration may be impossible, several treatments for Erb Palsy can help patients live more independent and productive lives. Some treatment options that medical professionals can suggest include surgery and physical therapy.
Those suffering from Erb’s palsy are entitled to financial support to aid with the costs of daily life, medical care, and transportation.
What Causes Erb’s Palsy?
Most brachial plexus injuries in adults and adolescents occur due to vehicular collisions, especially on motorbikes.
These wounds can also result from gunshot or knife injury, contact sports injury, surgical error, or a tumor. Men are more susceptible to these brachial plexus injuries than women.
How Can an Adult Reduce Their Risk for Erb’s Palsy?
Wearing protective gear when engaging in high-risk activities like contact sports or motorcycle riding is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of Erb’s Palsy as an adult.
Can Erb’s Palsy Be Fixed in Adults?
Whether surgical or nonsurgical, occupational therapy is the most common method of treating Erb’s Palsy in adults. If Erb’s palsy has hindered your ability to conduct daily duties, an occupational therapist can help you go back to doing what you love.
Your physician or physical therapist will show you which therapeutic and range-of-motion exercises you must perform to promote healing and prevent joint stiffening in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand.
When Should I See My Healthcare Provider About Erb’s Palsy?
It is common practice for doctors to schedule follow-up appointments for patients with Erb’s palsy. Constant monitoring by trained professionals is required and crucial, so don’t miss them. Call your doctor if the condition worsens between scheduled visits.
Additionally, please inform your doctor if you have any worsening symptoms, difficulty performing exercises with the affected side, or permanent injuries.
Which Nerve Is Damaged in Erb’s Palsy?
Erb’s point is a neuroanatomical landmark 2–3 centimeters above the collarbone in the upper trunk of the Brachial Plexus. The fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae (C5 and C6 ). The axillary nerve, musculocutaneous nerve, and suprascapular nerve are all impacted by Erb’s palsy.
Treatment of Erb’s Palsy
Can Erb’s Palsy Be Cured?
Treatment of Erb’s palsy depends on the severity of the injury. Some cases resolve themselves, taking a patient three to four months to recover fully.
Treatment of Erb’s palsy may include:
Non-Surgical Treatments
Physical therapy is a practical non-surgical approach to Erb’s palsy treatment. To aid in recovery and prevent permanent stiffness in your shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand, your doctor or physical therapist will counsel you on the best therapeutic and range-of-motion exercises for your Erb’s palsy.
Surgical Procedures
If, after three to six months of physical therapy, the nerve damage has not shown significant improvement, your doctor may suggest surgical options such as:
- Nerve grafts: nerve grafting is a surgical procedure that involves repairing damaged tissue at the injury site using a transferred part of a healthy nerve. The transferred nerve acts as a bridge or graft, improving the damaged nerve. Nerve grafting is needed in severe cases of Erb’s palsy to repair nerve damage and restore the ability to move the upper arm, shoulder, or hand.
- Nerve transfer: Unlike nerve graft, nerve transfer is performed close to the damaged muscle. It involves the transfer of a healthy nerve to replace the nerve controlling the damaged muscle.
- Nerve Decompression: Medical professionals can reconnect damaged nerve fibers to muscles by relieving the pressure on the injured nerves, which facilitates recovery without extensive surgery.
What Happens if Erbs Palsy Is Left Untreated?
Nerve injury must be addressed immediately, and surgery must be performed quickly on damaged nerves to prevent loss of total innervation and muscle function.
A lack of therapy will worsen the symptoms or lead to severe complications such as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is due to a reduced range of motion leading to excessive stress on the limb joints. In severe untreated cases, it could lead to amputation of the affected limb.
How Do You Know a Nerve Is Healing?
You may experience some tingling or electric-shock-like feeling in the area that this nerve controls during the healing process.
The signs of a healing nerve include:
- Improved range of motion
- Regained sensitivity
- Increased joint mobility
- Reduced joint and muscle pain
How Does Erbs Palsy Affect My Life?
Paralysis induced by Erb’s palsy can severely limit mobility. Although you may engage in sports that only require one hand, utilizing the affected hand can be challenging. Being part of a community of people who understand what it’s like to live with Erb’s palsy can be a huge relief.
In adults, the severity of nerve damage determines the degree of disability caused by Erb’s Palsy. Daily activities can be hampered for those with severe Erb’s palsy. However, most folks can learn how to swim, shower, and cook, even with mild to moderate arthritis.
How Can Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists Help?
Occupational therapists assist patients with Erb’s palsy who have difficulty undertaking day-to-day activities.
An occupational therapist can assess your living situation and daily activities to make recommendations that improve your quality of life. They’ll also show you certain tricks that make it easier to do things like eating, bathing, and putting on clothes.
Furthermore, therapists can help in the workplace or school by modifying to increase adaptability to the new working conditions, leading to increased self-worth and confidence.
Can Erb’s Palsy Affect my Job?
People with severe physical disabilities, such as moderate or severe Erb’s palsy, are not eligible to apply for physically demanding professions in the police, emergency units, or military forces. Some civilian occupations, such as nursing, dentistry, and manual labor, are difficult for those with upper limb disabilities.
Restricted arm and shoulder movement can make every aspect of life challenging at home, school, and work. Arm paralysis, weakness, and reduced grip strength limit victims from participating in some sports and leisure pursuits.
Does Erb’s Palsy Affect Care For My Children?
Caregiving is a physically demanding job, even without limb difficulties. The limited use of one arm makes child care more challenging for people with Erb’s palsy, especially in the child’s pre-teen years. For example, kids with Erb’s palsy would have difficulty participating in physical sports within their age groups.
Erb palsy victims may have difficulty breastfeeding and carrying their child due to the restricted range of motion of their hands. The inability to cater to the child s needs causes excessive strain on the shoulder and spine due to overcompensation by the healthy arm.
Because of this, Our Erb’s palsy attorney usually includes professional childcare expenses while determining the settlement fee.
Erb’s Palsy Support Groups and Resources
Initially, coming to terms with having Erb’s palsy can be challenging. However, you should know that you are not alone. Many support organizations have emerged to help victims comprehend their treatment options and the resources at their disposal.
Members of Erb’s palsy support groups are given emotional support and renewed optimism. Parents and kids can benefit from the information these groups share, leading them to seek potentially fruitful services and therapies. Some of the well-known herbs palsy support organizations include:
- United Brachial Plexus Network;
- The Brachial Plexus Palsy Foundation;
- Mothers United for Moral Support;
- The Birth Trauma Association.
If you have Erb’s palsy and think it was caused by medical negligence or malpractice, JustPoint can help you get the compensation you deserve and know your legal rights. We can connect you to a lawyer specializing in Erb’s palsy and investigate if the condition was caused by medical malpractice.
