Who Is At Risk for a Brachial Plexus Injury?
A brachial plexus injury is usually a consequence of a birthing emergency known as dystocia, where the baby’s shoulders get stuck behind the mother’s pelvis and cannot be delivered without intervention. In trying various maneuvers to resolve the dystocia to deliver the baby, the brachial plexus nerves of the fetus can get stretched and damaged. Depending on the severity of such damage, different types of brachial plexus injuries such as Erb’s palsy, Klumpke’s palsy, and brachial palsy can occur. All sensations in the baby’s arm; starting from the shoulder, to the arm, to the wrist and the hand, are controlled by the brachial plexus nerves. Thus, a brachial plexus injury can affect the movement of the arm and may result in permanent paralysis of the entire arm. All brachial plexus injuries are not necessarily seen after dystocia. Such injuries can occur even if no dystocia occurred during delivery. Following are risk factors that will help you to determine whether or not brachial plexus
