The 10 Scariest Things About Cerebral Palsy Attorneys

How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has a profound impact on the life of the child and the lives of their families. Compensation can help them live a full life with access to equipment, treatment and assistance.

Many cases of cerebral palsy result from medical negligence. This could be caused by the lack of care during pregnancy, problems during the birth process or other incidents.

Causes

There is no cure for CP however early diagnosis and treatment can improve a child's abilities. Doctors can diagnose CP by observing the muscle tone of a child, movement and coordination. They might refer a child to specialists like neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, Cerebral palsy and physiatrists, who can aid in managing symptoms and improve the quality of life for children.

Everyone suffers from cerebral palsy in a different way. It can be mild with minimal impact on a child's ability to function, or it can be extremely severe and cause physical impairments throughout the body. The symptoms can include a head that is floppy (floppy neck) stiff or uncontrolled muscle and walking difficulties, or issues with speech or other functions. If a child's condition is cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's referred to as hemiplegia; on both sides, it's diplegia. The severity of CP can result in a locked-in (spastic) condition with spasticity in muscles that restricts the person's movement and can lead to problems with speech and eating.

Birth complications are an often-repeated cause of CP. Midwives, doctors and nurses should be extra cautious when delivering the baby as damage to the brain can result in serious consequences. If a medical error results in oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, the doctor could be held responsible for malpractice. This includes negligence when scheduling or performing a C-section in a hurry or failing to control and escalate a complicated labor.

Symptoms

If your child has cerebral palsy, he / will likely suffer from various physical symptoms. These symptoms may include stiff or tight muscles or joints, a limp, uncontrolled movement, and issues with posture and balance. Other problems include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and hearing and vision problems.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's immature state. This is usually the case in the infant or early years of childhood. A delay in reaching milestones such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling or walking is a common sign of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to have trouble swallowing and might need a feeding tube.

Many factors can contribute to a brain injury causing CP. This includes diseases like toxoplasmosis, or rubella in the womb, high blood pressure during pregnancy; and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a severe lack of oxygen) during labor or birth is the most common cause of CP.

Depending on the form of cerebral palsy, symptoms may range from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most frequent form. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as choreoathetoid or athetoid) is characterized by slow and uncontrolled motions of the arms, legs and the body. Other forms of CP might include ataxic palsy, which has shakey movements, or paraplegic cerebral palsy where the arms and legs are affected.

Treatment

While the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy vary, most people with the condition have to deal with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with coordination and balance. The kind of problems they experience will depend on the part of the brain that was injured and the severity.

Many people suffering from CP require special physical therapy which helps them to improve their mobility and muscle tone as well as stretch and exercise their muscles and joints. It also helps relieve pain and prevent contracture. It may include exercises, braces with special features, or other treatments.

Musculoskeletal issues like patella alta, hip dysplasia, scoliosis, and cervical stenosis are common in CP. These conditions can cause major mobility problems, which reduces life expectancy.

Speech and language therapy can be used to assist children who are not able to communicate effectively. This may help them learn new ways of communicating and may involve sign language, communication boards, or voice synthesizers.

These medicines are used to limit abnormal movements, decrease the pain, and manage seizures. The medications are administered by mouth or injected into the affected muscles or into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord.

Compensation

A successful cerebral palsy claim could result in compensation for your child to pay for special care, equipment and treatment. This will be based on the psychological and physical impacts that your child's condition has caused on them, as well as any expenses and losses that you've incurred. This could include the loss of earnings due to having stop work to take care of your child, home modifications and transportation costs to transport your child to and from appointments.

Depending on the severity of your child's injuries the lawyer may recommend an expert in disability issues to draft a 'life care plan' that clearly lists all the needs of your child from the date of their diagnosis until they reach adulthood. This can help calculate an accurate amount of compensation. This typically is an amount in lump sum and annual payments that can be adjusted to reflect inflation.

You should know that compensation for a legal case that is successful is not a quick cash payout. It's an acknowledgement that injustice has occurred due to medical professionals failed to fulfill their obligation to care during pregnancy, labour and the birth.