Brachial Plexus Injuries

The Brachial Plexus is the group of nerves running from the spine through the neck and shoulder and into the arm. Injuries to the Brachial Plexus can result in nerve damage causing full or partial paralysis in the affected limb, lack of sensation, muscle weakness, and Erb's Palsy.

Although injuries to the Brachial Plexus can occur at any time, such injuries are most common during childbirth when the baby's shoulders become impacted causing the nerves to stretch and/or tear.

Forceful flexion of the neck to the side or extreme and improper extension of the arm to the side greater than 90 degrees is a known cause of this injury in adults. Patients are particularly vulnerable when this occurs while under anesthesia.

There are three types of Brachial Plexus injuries:

Neuropraxia: The most common type of Brachial Plexus injury. It represents a temporary paralysis of the nerve caused by impaired blood supply to the nerve where there has been no loss of the structural integrity of the nerve.
Axonotmesis: The neural sheath remains intact but the axons (the elements of the nerve through which transmission of sensory or motor stimuli are conducted) may take a year or more for the axons to regrow down the inside of the neural sheath. Recovery of nerve function is likely.
Neurotmesis: The nerve is divided. These injuries are permanent unless repaired and even where repair is possible only partial recovery is to be anticipated at best.

If negligence or medical malpractice during delivery led to a Brachial Plexus injury or any other birth related injury, contact the birth injury lawyers at Meyers Giuffre Evans & Schwarzwaelder. Handling medical malpractice & birth injury cases for more than 30 years, the lawyers and medical staff in our Pittsburgh law firm are available for a free legal consultation. If you are physically unable to reach us, we will gladly arrange to come to you. The law offices of Meyers Giuffre Evans & Schwarzwaelder are located in downtown Pittsburgh and are licensed to help victims of medical malpractice throughout the state of Pennsylvania.