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Tampa Florida Erb’s Palsy Lawyers
Strong representation when your child suffers a birth injury
Erb’s palsy is a predictable and often preventable birth injury. At MattLaw, our medical malpractice lawyers hold obstetricians, hospitals, and other medical providers accountable when they fail to comply with acceptable medical standards. Our Tampa Erb’s palsy lawyers handle a broad range of birth injury claims. We work with doctors who can explain what steps the delivery doctors should have taken to protect your child. Our team can demand compensation for your child’s medical care, pain and suffering, and every way Erb’s palsy affects their ability to use their shoulder, arm, and hand. Call us now to protect your child’s future.
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- What is Erb’s palsy?
- What are the symptoms of Erb’s palsy in Tampa?
- What medical mistakes cause Erb’s palsy in newborns?
- What are the diagnosis tests and treatments for children with Erb’s palsy?
- How do you fight for newborns and parents when medical malpractice causes Erb’s palsy?
- Do you have a Tampa, Florida Erb’s palsy lawyer near me?
What is Erb’s palsy?
According to Shriner’s Children, a nationwide healthcare provider, Erb’s palsy is a brachial plexus injury that is usually caused by a difficult delivery where the neck of the baby is stretched during the birthing process. For about 70-80% of infants, Erb’s palsy can resolve within one year – if medical care begins within four weeks of birth. For the other 20-30%, Erb’s palsy can require a lifetime of medical care.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the brachial plexus is a “group of five nerves that connect the spine to the arm, and hand.” These nerves help your newborn move their shoulders, arms, and hands. Erb’s palsy is also called Erb-Duchenne paralysis. “Erb's palsy is the most common type of brachial plexus palsy. It involves the upper nerves in the plexus.” Klumpke’s palsy generally affects your child's forearm and hand.
Our Tampa Erb’s palsy lawyers review which type of Erb’s palsy your child has with our network of health professionals. The four types of Erb’s palsy injuries include:
- A brachial plexus nerve “rips away from the spine,” Avulsion is the most severe type of Erb's palsy.
- A brachial plexus nerve is “torn, but not from the spine.”
- This condition is due to scar tissue (after a torn nerve has healed). The scar tissue prevents the nerve from transmitting signals to the muscles.
- This Erb’s palsy injury happens when a brachial plexus nerve is stretched but not torn.
Generally, Erb’s palsy occurs when a birth delivery doctor moves the infant’s head so the shoulders can be delivered. The brachial plexus nerves can stretch and tear during this maneuver.
Larger fetuses are more at risk of becoming stuck and suffering an Erb’s palsy injury.
What are the symptoms of Erb’s palsy in Tampa?
The signs and symptoms of Erb’s palsy in your child include:
- Paralysis or limpness of the shoulder, arm, and elbow. Your child cannot lift their arm away from their body or bend their elbow.
- Numbness/tingling. These symptoms (also called stingers and burners) affect the sensations in your child’s arm or hand.
- A hand position known as ‘the waiter’s tip’ position.Here, the palm of your child’s hand “points toward the back, and the fingers curl.”
What medical mistakes cause Erb’s palsy in newborns?
At MattLaw, we’re skilled at showing what risk factors your doctors failed to consider and what steps should have been taken to competently position and move your newborn during the delivery. Our Tampa birth injury lawyers have been fighting for newborns and their parents for more than 35 years. We work with obstetricians and other healthcare providers to analyze every step of your newborn’s delivery. These healthcare providers help us show that your doctors:
Some of the risk factors include:
- A mother or an infant who is overweight
- The mother has diabetes
- A prior pregnancy where there was shoulder dystocia
- Being pregnant with multiple fetuses
- Certain medications during labor, such as oxytocin or an epidural
- A breech birth position
Your doctors should have the skills and experience to properly position and move babies so they can be born without suffering an Erb’s palsy injury.
What are the diagnosis tests and treatments for children with Erb’s palsy?
The diagnostic tests for Erb’s palsy include an EMG to determine how well your child’s muscles and nerves work and imaging tests (an MRI, CT scan, and/or myelogram). X-rays may be ordered if the doctor ordering the tests suspects your child may have a fracture.
The Cleveland Clinic states that the following treatments for infants who have Erb’s palsy (depending on the severity of their condition) may be helpful:
- Physical therapy/exercises that begin within a few weeks after the birth of your child. These treatments include range-of-motion and stretching exercises to help prevent stiffness.
- This treatment combines exercise with water. The water helps make the exercises less painful.
- An injection of botulinum toxin (Botox®)to “paralyze working muscles for a time to force weaker muscles to take over.” A splint may be placed on your newborn’s hand “to prevent it from curling inward and being rigid.”
If your newborn’s Erb’s palsy doesn’t improve within six months, the following surgical treatments may help:
- Nerve repair. Nerve grafts, nerve transfers, neurolysis, and nerve decompression may be advisable.
- Muscle repair.A muscle or tendon transfer “to replace the damaged tissue with tissue from another place in the body” may help your child.
These surgical procedures generally take a long time to show any results.
How do you fight for newborns and parents when medical malpractice causes Erb’s palsy?
At MattLaw, our medical malpractice lawyers file claims against everyone responsible for your child’s medical disorder, including obstetricians, hospitals, nurses, anesthesiologists, and any other responsible healthcare providers.
We review all your child’s medical needs, including verifying their Erb’s palsy condition, the treatments they’ll need for as long as medical care is necessary, and all the ways their medical care affects every aspect of your child’s growth and development.
We demand compensation for all the current and future:
- Medical costs
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of bodily function
- Inability to enjoy life’s pleasure
- All other financial and personal damages
Do you have a Tampa, Florida Erb’s palsy lawyer near me?
At MattLaw, we meet parents and newborns at our Tampa, Florida office located at 304 S Plant Ave., Tampa, FL 33606. We also have an office in St. Petersburg. Our birth injury lawyers meet clients away from the office when necessary. We also speak with clients by phone and through video discussions.
We understand your fears. We are prepared to answer your questions and explain each step of the claims process.
Talk with our respected Tampa Erb’s palsy lawyers today
Parents have the right to expect the best for their newborns. It’s devastating to learn that their newborn isn’t healthy. When preventable medical mistakes happen, our Tampa birth injury lawyers have the skills and experience to hold careless physicians responsible. Call MattLaw or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We handle birth injury cases on a contingency fee basis.