The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Cerebral Palsy Attorneys

How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy can have an impact on the child and their family. Compensation can help them lead an active and Cerebral Palsy healthy life by allowing access to care equipment and assistance.

Many cases of cerebral palsy result from medical negligence. It could be due to an absence of medical attention during pregnancy, issues during delivery or other incidents.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can improve a child’s capabilities. Doctors diagnose CP by observing the child's movement, muscle tone and coordination. They may refer the child to specialists, like pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists and physiatrists. These specialists can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Every person is affected by cerebral palsy in a different way. It can be mild and have a minimal impact on a child's abilities or severe and cause impairments across all body areas. It can be characterized by the appearance of a floppy (floppy neck) head and stiff or uncontrolled muscles that are difficult to walk, or having trouble with speech and other functions. If a child's condition is cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's called hemiplegia. When it happens on both sides, it's called diplegia. In severe cases, CP can result in a locked-in (spastic) condition with muscle spasticity that restricts an individual's movements and leads to problems with speech and eating.

Birth complications are a frequent cause of CP. Midwives, doctors and nurses must be cautious when giving birth to the baby as damage to the brain can have serious consequences. If a medical error results in oxygen deprivation or other brain injury that causes cerebral palsy, the physician could be held accountable for negligence. This includes a lack of planning or performing a C-section urgently or inability to control and escalate a complicated labor.

Signs and symptoms

If your child suffers from cerebral palsy, he or she will likely have various physical symptoms. These symptoms could include tight or stiff muscles as well as a limp, uncontrolled movements, and issues with posture and balance. Other problems can include intellectual disabilities, speech delays and hearing and vision problems.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy are caused by damage to an immature brain. This is usually the case during infancy or the early years of childhood. A delay in reaching milestones such as sitting up, crawling or walking is a common symptom of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience trouble swallowing and might need feeding tubes.

Numerous factors can contribute to the development of an injury to the brain that causes CP that can be caused by infections such as rubella, cytomegalovirus or toxoplasmosis in the womb and high blood pressure during pregnancy, and genetic predisposition. A severe lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during labor or delivery is the main cause of CP, as is bleeding in the brain from blood vessels that are damaged or blocked.

Based on the type of cerebral palsy, the symptoms may vary from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most commonly encountered form. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as athetoid or choreoathetoid) is characterized by slow, uncontrolled motions of the legs, arms and the body. Other forms of CP could include ataxic cerebral palsy attorney palsy, which has a shaky motion, or paraplegic cerebral palsy in which the legs and arms are affected.

Treatment

While the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy attorney palsy differ, the majority of sufferers of the condition have to deal with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with coordination and balance. The type of problem that they suffer from is dependent on the brain region that was injured and the extent of the injury.

Many people suffering from CP require specific physical therapy in order to improve their mobility, flexibility, and muscle tone, and stretch their joints and muscles. It can also ease the pain and prevent contractures. It may include exercises, braces with special features, or other treatments.

CP is caused by musculoskeletal issues that include patella alta and hip dysplasia. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis are also common. These can cause major problems in mobility, reducing life expectancy.

Speech and therapy for language can be used to aid children who are not able to communicate effectively. This may help children learn new ways to communicate and could include sign language, a communication board or voice synthesizers.

The use of medications can relax muscles that are stiff or overactive and reduce abnormal movement. They also reduce pain and seizures. The medications are administered by mouth or injected into the affected muscles or into the fluid around the spinal cord.

Compensation

A successful cerebral palsy claim could result in compensation for your child's for special care, equipment and treatment. The amount of compensation will be based upon the physical and mental effects of your child's condition and any expenses or losses that you might have incurred. This could include the loss of income due to having stop work to take care of your child, home modifications and transportation costs to transport your child to and from appointments.

Based on the severity of your child's injuries the lawyer might recommend hiring an expert in disability services to write a "life care plan' that lists all the needs of your child from the date of their diagnosis until adulthood. This can help determine an accurate amount of compensation. It usually takes the form of a lump sum and regular annual payments that are indexed to keep up with inflation.

It is important to be aware that the compensation resulting from a successful legal claim isn't a windfall. It's an acknowledgement that injustice was committed, all because medical professionals did not fulfill their obligation to taking care during labour, pregnancy and delivery.