Erbs Palsy changes the life of a newborn and their families
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The number of babies born with Erb’s palsy had continued to fall in 2019.
Erb’s palsy is a preventable arm disability, caused by nerve damage to a child’s neck or shoulder during labour.
In the last 15 years, cases of it have fallen from 1 in every 1,000 births to 1 in every 1,800.
The Erb’s Palsy Group, a national charity, attribute the decline in cases to better education for midwives and doctors.
Largely, issues arise when a baby becomes stuck during labour and is not rotated in the correct way for release.
The charity say that when a midwife is given proper training, an injury is “always preventable”.
Some infants may recover within a couple of months, but for many people erbs palsy is a lifelong disability.
The condition ranges from limited movement, to full paralysis of the arm. Day-to-day activities that most people take for granted become more difficult for those with Erb’s palsy, whatever the severity.
19-year-old Garett Eeles is one of 58 people living in London with the condition.
He says washing himself and cleaning are challenging tasks, but that he has had to “adapt to the difficult situations.”
Garett doesn’t let his arm hold him back. Credit: Holly Keogh for City News
For example, when answering the phone at his receptionist job he props his other arm up for support. When he referees at football games, he solely uses his left hand.
Campainers hope that with individuals like Garett and the national support group striving for greater awareness, the pattern of decline in Erb’s palsy cases will continue into 2020.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineNumber of babies born with Erb’s palsy falls again in 2019
Short HeadlineFurther decline in Erb's palsy cases
StandfirstFollowing effective awareness campaigns, the arm disability has reached its lowest figure in 15 years.
Erbs Palsy is a preventable arm disability, caused by nerve damage to a child’s neck or shoulder during labour. In the last 15 years, cases of it have fallen from 1 in every 1000 births to 1 in every 1800.
The Erbs Palsy Group, a national charity, attribute the decline in cases to better education for midwives and doctors.
Largely, issues arise when a baby becomes stuck during labour and is not rotated in the correct way for release. The charity say that when a midwife is given proper training, an injury will ‘always be prevented’.
Some infants may recover within a couple of months, but for many people Erbs Palsy is a lifelong disability.
The condition ranges from limited movement, to full paralysis of the arm. Day-to-day activities that most people take for granted become more difficult for those with Erbs Palsy, whatever the severity.
19 year old Garett Eeles is one of 58 people living in London with the condition. He says washing himself and cleaning are challenging tasks, but that he has had to ‘adapt to the difficult situations.’
Garett doesn’t let his arm hold him back
For example, when answering the phone at his receptionist job he props his other arm up for support. When he referees at football games, he solely uses his left hand.
With individual’s like Garett and the national support group striving for greater awareness, there’s hope that the pattern of decline in Erbs Palsy cases will continue into 2020.
The number of babies born with Erb’s palsy had continued to fall in 2019.
Erb’s palsy is a preventable arm disability, caused by nerve damage to a child’s neck or shoulder during labour.
In the last 15 years, cases of it have fallen from 1 in every 1,000 births to 1 in every 1,800.
The Erb’s Palsy Group, a national charity, attribute the decline in cases to better education for midwives and doctors.
Largely, issues arise when a baby becomes stuck during labour and is not rotated in the correct way for release.
The charity say that when a midwife is given proper training, an injury is “always preventable”.
Some infants may recover within a couple of months, but for many people erbs palsy is a lifelong disability.
The condition ranges from limited movement, to full paralysis of the arm. Day-to-day activities that most people take for granted become more difficult for those with Erb’s palsy, whatever the severity.
19-year-old Garett Eeles is one of 58 people living in London with the condition.
He says washing himself and cleaning are challenging tasks, but that he has had to “adapt to the difficult situations.”
Garett doesn’t let his arm hold him back. Credit: Holly Keogh for City News
For example, when answering the phone at his receptionist job he props his other arm up for support. When he referees at football games, he solely uses his left hand.
Campainers hope that with individuals like Garett and the national support group striving for greater awareness, the pattern of decline in Erb’s palsy cases will continue into 2020.
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