Brachial Plexus injury and Erbs Palsy Info. Get Brachial Plexus Palsy and Erbs Palsy answers now. Se Habla Español

brachial plexus injury illustrations, brachial plexus diagram, diagram of cerebral palsy brain, bells palsy

This web site intends to provide support, promote public awareness
and serve as an invaluable resource to families who have suffered
from Brachial Plexus Neuromas, Erb's Palsy Nerve Injuries and
defects cause by birth related traumas.

is the network of dividing and anastomosing nerves within the neck and shoulder supplied by the C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1 nerves exiting from the spine.

Injury to this structure can occur at birth and the incidence of this ranges from 0.3 to 2 per 1000 births. Depending on the severity of this injury some babies can recover after a few months. If full recovery has not occurred within the first months of life, infants with this injury deserve the attention of a multi-disciplinary group specializing in this injury.

	to view arm diagram larger
*This illustration is part of a poster which depicts the nervous innervationof the skin and muscles of the arm.

Doctors can not say completely what ALL the causes of brachial plexus injuries in neonates are. It has taken years to formulate an understanding as to the full impact of these birth injuries. It was just recently that the following risk factors described below have been attributed directly to the cause of these injuries. Although much advancement has been made in the study of this injury we still have a long way to go before these injuries can be avoided. For now parents must realistically assess the physical long-term goals of the infant with the aide of the physician. Corrective surgery and intense therapy must then follow in the most severe cases. For more information read the FACTS and Q&A portion of this web site.

	Trauma During Delivery
	Babies Birth Weight/ Fetal Macrosomia
	Maternal Diabetes/ Maternal Weight
	Difficult Birth/ Cesarean/ Vaginal
	Underdeveloped Neck Muscles

Brachial Plexus Palsy discovered at birth may occur due to trauma during delivery, trauma before delivery, amniotic bands, or congenital chicken pox. The vast majority of cases of congenital brachial plexus palsy are due to trauma during delivery. Many of these neonates have a clear history of shoulder dystocia and evidence of acute trauma to other areas of the body. Trauma prior to the initiation of labor can the cause of brachial plexus palsy in small neonates delivered by cesarean section and without evidence of acute trauma. Most of these neonates have fixed deformities of the extremity that implies that the limb movements have been restricted for a prolonged period of time.

The presence of fibrillation by electromyography in the first week of life is strong evidence that the injury occurred prior to delivery. Fibrillations probably do not occur until 10 days after nerve injury. Amniotic bands in the distribution of the shoulder and neck may produce brachial plexus palsy. The presence of an amniotic band is diagnostic. The affected arm is usually deformed and only partially developed.

Rarely, for some neonates the cause of their brachial plexus palsy is the chicken pox. This often occurs when their mothers develope chicken a pox during early and middle pregnancy. It has been proven that neonates with congenital chicken pox have cutaneous scarring which results from exposure of the vesicular lesions to amniotic fluid.

For more information see Q&A and Facts.

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