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Problems that occur during the child birthing process can be caused by a variety of circumstances. These circumstances, if not handled properly by the attending doctors and nurses, can result in serious birth injuries.

The most serious birth injuries are those that affect the brain. One major cause is oxygen deprivation, which commonly occurs when the umbilical cord is compressed or twisted in the birth process. Birth injuries may also be caused by bleeding within the skull or brain. These injuries vary greatly in severity. They may lead to long-term seizure disorders or cause cerebral palsy or other mental defecits.

The other main cause of birth injury is mechanical trauma, which may occur when the baby assumes an unusual position at the time of birth (buttocks rather than head first, for example) or when the baby is too large to pass through the birth canal easily.

Neck and shoulder injuries commonly result from mechanical trauma. When the neck is injured, the entire body can be affected. Similarly, when there is an injury to another part of the spine, the organs and systems supplied by those nerves may become dysfunctional. These spinal injuries, called the vertebral subluxation complex, can alter the course of a person’s life if they are not immediately corrected.

Shoulder dystocia results from a complication during birth in which the shoulders cannnot pass through the mother's pelvis. Complicated maneuvers must be performed which often result in injury, or shoulder dystocia. Some types of shoulder dystocia injuries are fractures of the clavicle or humerus, nerve injuries, asphyxia and death. Brachial plexus injuries may result from shoulder dystocia and are one of the most common groupings of birth injuries.

Doctors may use many different procedures to dislodge the baby's shoulder so that the baby can safely pass through the birthing canal. In some cases, the doctor can reposition the mother, or the doctor can use his or her hands to maneuver and change the position of the baby. In particularly dangerous and difficult births, the doctor may break the baby's clavicle bone intentionally, break the mother's pelvic bone or perform an emergency C-section. The doctor can also use gentle traction in a horizontal plane to avoid damaging the brachial plexus.

When the doctor uses excessive traction on the head while the baby's shoulder remains stuck, the brachial plexus nerves in the baby's neck may stretch or tear and suffer serious injury. Depending on the location, this injury can cause one of the types of brachial plexus palsy.

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