What
Should You do if You are Concerned Your Child has Erbs Palsy?
Times is of the essence when it comes to brachial injuries. If you
suspect your child may have a brachial injury, you should do the following
IMMEDIATELY:
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-Have
the baby examined by a pediatrician.
-Have the baby examined by a pediatric nerologist who has experience in brachial injuries and treatment to assess the injury and see if there are any other complications (e.g. Horner's syndrome).
-Have the baby examined by a pediatric brachial plexus specialist. |
If you are informed that your child does have a brachial injury, you
should do the following as soon as possible:
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-Get
a referral to begin physical or occupational therapy. Schedule
appointments for your child for at least once a week.
-Learn how to do range of motion exercises with your baby. It is important to work on the child's mobility as soon as possible. Do these exercises daily.
-Contemplate surgical options. Speak with a surgeon experienced in brachial surgeries as soon as possible. The success rate for brachial surgeries is the greatest when the child is young. Here is a general recovery time line to follow: |
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-If there is no movement in the affected area within the first six weeks, surgery should be considered if not planned for about 3 months.
-If there is movement at six weeks but no hand to mouth movement,
surgery should be considered if not planned for 4 to 6 months
with a re-evaluation before the surgery to check recovered movements. |
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-Consider
retaining legal counsel since a large number of brachial injuries
are preventable. Remember that there are certain statutes that
apply to legal action as well. |
Time is so important here becuse muscles that are not innervated eventually
die within 12-18 months. Once the muscle has begun to die, recovery
and progress becomes much, much more difficult.
If you feel that your child has suffered a brachial plexus injury
that was preventable contact us. |
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