Our Oregon Lawyers Explain Klumpke Palsy Due to Medical Malpractice
Klumpke’s palsy is a type of brachial plexus injury. Brachial plexus injuries commonly occur at birth. While they are common occurrences, some cases of Klumpke’s palsy can be avoided entirely if proper procedures are followed by the medical staff caring for you and your child. While some cases of Klumpke’s palsy are unavoidable, some cases are entirely avoidable and are due to pure negligence. Brachial plexus injuries can cause loss or alteration of sensation, movement and even physical deformity. Quite commonly, brachial plexus injuries are due to inappropriate physical manipulation of the newborn during delivery and after birth. Our Oregon Klumpke’s palsy medical malpractice lawyers understand just how serious and also avoidable this birth injury can be when Klumpke’s palsy due to medical malpractice is caused by preventable medical errors.
We are prepared to help you and your child get the justice you deserve if your child’s injury was due to medical malpractice. We encourage you to allow our lawyers to review your case for FREE today to determine if medical malpractice played a part in your child’s brachial plexus injury. This can be a very serious and permanent type of birth injury that may never heal on its own. Sometimes even surgeries may or may not help. Do not delay. Get the help you deserve today.
Our Oregon Lawyers Explain Brachial Plexus Injuries
There is a complex network of nerves encompassing the brachial plexus. The nerves run the shoulders and neck, and controls the arm muscles, chest muscles, shoulders and hands. In order to have proper function of all of these muscles, the nerves must remain intact. If a brachial plexus injury occurs (such as Klumpke’s palsy), the injury will affect the babies motor development, including arm, hand and finger development. This can be detrimental to a baby’s growth as the first year of life is a time for tremendous physical and cognitive growth.
Brachial plexus injuries are quite common at birth due to babies being much more fragile than an older child or adult. Generally speaking, these types of injuries occur due to inappropriate physical force, usually either from manual manipulation or use of instruments to remove the baby from the birth canal such as forceps or vacuum extractor.
Klumpke’s Palsy Explained by Our Oregon Lawyers
Klumpke’s palsy is just one type of brachial plexus injury that can be caused by medical malpractice. While not all cases of Klumpke’s palsy are a direct result of medical malpractice, quite often this is the case. This is why if a child is diagnosed with a brachial plexus injury, their family should contact our Oregon Klumpke’s palsy lawyers who can help determine if medical malpractice contributed to your child’s brachial plexus injury.
Klumpke’s palsy occurs when there is damage to the nerves responsible for sending signals to the brain and muscles to help the lower half of the arm function. This includes the fingers and hands. Klumpke’s palsy typically causes loss of strength of weakness in the fingers or hand. Depending on the severity, there may be some loss of function or sensation, sometimes including complete numbness. Effects from this injury can be permanent or temporary. Unfortunately, often times the effects of the injury are permanent to some extent.
Often times, Klumpke’s palsy injuries often cause physical deformity of the hand and fingers. People with this type of injury often have a “claw” presentation of their hand. Sometimes, people can also have weakness in the upper shoulder muscles. However, this does not always occur.
Klumpke’s Palsy Classification of Injury Type
Treatment for Klumpke’s palsy or any brachial plexus injury largely depends of the type and extend of damage that occurs. There are generally four types of damage from a brachial plexus injury:
Rupture – This type of damage occurs when the nerve root is still connected to the spinal cord, but the nerve has been severed, torn of cut in some way.
Neuropraxia – This is the least severe type of brachial plexus damage. When the damage from the brachial plexus injury occurs, it typically only involves the myelin (the protective covering of a nerve). This type of damage can cause decreased sensation, weakness or discomfort.
Avulsion – This is perhaps the worst type of damage from a brachial plexus injury. The reason for this is an avulsion occurs when the nerve is completely separated by tearing from the spinal cord. This often results in permanent damage with very few options for nerve repair.
Neuroma – This occurs when there is damage to the nerve, causing scar tissue buildup. This can cause pain, discomfort and impaired function.
Klumpke’s Palsy Treatment
Treatment for Klumpke’s palsy depends of the type of damage that has occurred and location of the injury. Some injuries require surgery while other injuries such as neuromas do not typically require surgical intervention unless they are causing severe discomfort or pain.
While surgery is sometimes the best option for repair in an attempt to optimize function, this is not always the case as extensive damage can make it difficult or impossible to fix the injury. In these instances, therapies such as physical and occupational therapy may be of most benefit to help build muscle strength and function. Occupational and physical therapy are most effective with neuromas and neuropraxia.
How Can Klumpke’s Palsy Be Caused By Medical Malpractice?
There are instances during the labor and delivery process that an infant may become lodged in the birth canal. When the baby gets lodged, their shoulders have the potential to become lodged or stuck. It is the physicians role to then safely dislodge them without causing harm to the mother or baby. With inappropriate manipulation of the baby physically or inappropriate use of extraction tools, brachial plexus injuries can occur.
Additionally, if a physician fails to recognize prenatally that a c-section should be performed over a vaginal delivery, this also creates the potential for brachial plexus injuries which could have been avoided. It is the physicians due to properly monitor mother and baby during the labor process. If mother and baby are improperly monitored and a c-section should be performed but is not, this puts the baby and mother at risk for serious complications, including brachial plexus injuries. These actions are due to negligence. Physicians receive special training to be able to handle any of these situations in a safe manner. Therefore, trained physicians should never encounter avoidable instances of Klumpke’s palsy.
How Our Oregon Klumpke’s Palsy Lawyers Can Help You
As stated above, Klumpke’s Palsy due to medical malpractice is an injury that is often avoidable. This is why you should contact our experienced Oregon Klumpke’s palsy medical malpractice lawyers for a consultation. Our lawyers can determine if your child was the victim of a brachial plexus injury due to medical malpractice. If this is the case, you and your child may be eligible to receive compensation. Compensation for this type of injury typically includes:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical bills
- Lost earnings of the parent
- Lost future earnings of the parent and child
- Therapy coverage for physical and occupational therapy
- Assistive equipment coverage
These are just a few of the many indications of compensation for a medical malpractice related Klumpke’s palsy.
Get Help if Klumpke’s Palsy Due to Medical Malpractice Harmed Your Loved One
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
