What is a Brachial Plexus Birth Injury?
Brachial Plexus, also known as Erb’s Palsy, describes a type of birth injury in which the nerves which connect the spinal cord to the infant’s shoulder, arm and hand are injured or damaged. Brachial Plexus most often occurs during child birth if the baby’s shoulder is stretched as the baby is in the birth canal of his mother. Brachial Plexus Birth Injuries may also occur if the doctor, nurse, or caregiver attempts to pull on the child’s arms – where the nerves may be torn or damaged. Additionally, this type of birth injury generally occurs when the infant’s shoulder becomes impacted during delivery. The most severe type of Brachial Plexus Birth Injury is avulsion in which the child’s nerves are literally torn from his or her spine. A Brachial Plexus Birth Injury may also be a “rupture” where the same nerves are torn during the birth injury, but they are still connected to the spinal cord. A less severe type of birth injury is where the nerve has torn but then heals with scar tissue. Th
