Texas Brachial Palsy Lawyer

Brachial Palsy is an injury to the nerves running from the spinal cord through the arm (the brachial plexus nerves), causing varying degrees of paralysis to one or both arms. Depending on the degree of injury and the nerves involved, the injury may limit one’s ability to grasp objects, reach overhead, or straighten the arm. A severe injury may result in complete paralysis and disfiguration of one or both arms. Approximately three out of every 1000 babies born will be born with a brachial plexus injury.

Brachial plexus injury is often caused when one or both of the baby’s shoulders become impacted on the mother’s pubic bone during delivery, resulting in the stretching of the baby’s head away from the baby’s shoulder, resulting in nerve damage. This type of injury is referred to as “shoulder dystocia”, and it frequently occurs during the delivery of large babies, although it may also occur during the birth of smaller or average weight babies as well.

Certain risk factors have been identified as contributing factors in shoulder dystocia injuries:

Labor must be monitored carefully. If the following warning signs become apparent, the doctor should be alert to the increased possibility of brachial plexus injury and react accordingly. There are a number of different maneuvers for releasing a trapped shoulder and avoiding injury. In some cases, a cesarean section delivery may be advisable. Warning signs include: