After several discussions with your wife, and countless hours on the internet looking up symptoms and possible ailments, you finally decided to take your seven-month-old baby boy to a specialist. Ever since he was born he\u2019s had issues moving his left arm. The doctor who delivered him assured both you and his mother that it was merely a sprained muscle from the delivery and that it should heal on its own. However, it\u2019s been over half a year and he hasn\u2019t shown much improvement. Instead of using both of his arms to reach out and grab toys, he keeps his left one close to his body and barely moves it. When you physically pick it up to dress him, he whines in pain. You just can\u2019t stand seeing your son suffer, even when the doctor sticks to his story that if you leave it alone it will \u201ceventually\u201d heal\u2014eventually just isn\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n
You are now sitting in a new pediatrician\u2019s office, waiting for the doctor to come back with his results. Although you wish that you\u2019re wrong and that there is nothing wrong with him, you know in your heart that the news isn\u2019t going to be good. After what feels like an eternity, the doctor returns and gives you the diagnosis: Presumed Erb\u2019s palsy.<\/p>\n
She explained that Erb\u2019s palsy, or brachial plexus palsy, is an injury usually sustained during birth, where the nerves in the neck and shoulders (brachial plexus nerves) stretch, snap, or otherwise become damaged. The brachial plexus nerves are a network of nerves near the neck that control all of the nerves in the arm. These nerves provide movement and feeling to the shoulder, arm, hand, and fingers. However, if these nerves are damaged as a result of an overzealous doctor or too much pressure on the head, the resulting injury could lead to partial paralysis of the arm and shoulder.<\/p>\n
She then stated that she would have to run further tests to distinguish the severity of the injury. Since the damage is more than six months old and still presents problems, she is worried that it could be a rupture or an avulsion, as opposed to the more minor neurapraxia or neuroma injuries.<\/p>\n
Avulsion? Rupture? Neuroma? What do these mean? Is your son going to be okay? What did the doctor do to cause such a problem? What can you do to make sure your son doesn\u2019t suffer anymore?<\/p>\n