Brachial Plexus Paralysis
One form of birth injury is a Brachial Plexus injury. Doctors have described it as a paralysis of the arm dating back to the 1700's; but it was Dr. Wilhelm Heinrich Erb, a German neurologist who located the most common lesion in the 5th and 6th cervical roots which supply the upper trunk of the Brachial Plexus. Injury occurs in 1 out of 1,000 births.
Erb's Palsy and Klempke's Palsy are types of Brachial Plexus Paralysis. Complete Brachial Plexus Paralysis occurs when all five nerves, termed as the brachial plexus, are affected. The entire arm from the shoulder down is paralyzed, there is often an associated Horner's Syndrome*. Demonstrable sensory loss in the arm is present and there can be an associated Torticollis. Torticollis is when the baby faces toward his good side and is unable to face forward for any length of time.
*Horners Syndrome is when the affected eyelid droops, the cheek doesn't sweat and the pupil is smaller than the unaffected eye.
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Klumpke's Palsy