The 10 Scariest Things About Cerebral Palsy Attorneys
How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim
A diagnosis of cerebral palsy attorneys palsy can have profound consequences for the child and their family. Compensation can allow them to live a fuller life, with access to the equipment, care and assistance.
Many cases of cerebral palsy result from medical negligence. This could be caused by a lack of care during pregnancy, or problems during delivery or other incidents.
Causes
Early diagnosis and treatment for CP can help improve a child's capabilities. Doctors determine CP based on a child's movement, muscle tone and coordination. They might refer the child to specialists, such as pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists or physiatrists. These specialists can assist in managing symptoms and improve the quality of life.
Everyone is affected by cerebral palsy in a different way. It can be mild and have little impact on a child's ability but it can also be severe and cause impairments across all body areas. It can be characterized by a floppy (floppy neck) head and stiff or uncontrolled muscles and walking difficulties, or having difficulty speaking and other functions. If a child only has cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's called hemiplegia. On both sides, it's known as diplegia. The severity of CP can lead to a locked-in (spastic) condition that causes spasticity in muscles that restricts the person's movement and can lead to issues with speech and eating.
Birth complications are an often-repeated reason for CP. Midwives, doctors and nurses must be cautious when delivering babies as brain damage could cause serious harm. If a medical mistake causes oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, the physician could be held accountable for malpractice. This includes a lack of planning or performing an urgent C-section or failing to control and escalate a complicated labor.
Signs and symptoms
If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, he or she will likely have an array of physical symptoms. This could include tight joints or stiff joints, a limp, uncontrolled movement and issues with balance and posture. Other issues could include intellectual disabilities, speech delays and hearing and cerebral palsy vision issues.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's maturation. It is most commonly seen in the early years of childhood. A delay in milestones such as rolling over, sitting, walking, or crawling can be a sign of CP. Children with CP may also have difficulties swallowing and may require a feeding device.
A variety of factors can cause a brain injury causing CP. This includes infections like toxoplasmosis or rubella in the womb, high blood pressure during pregnancy and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a severe lack of oxygen) during delivery or labor is the most common cause of CP.
Based on the type of cerebral palsy law firm palsy, the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most frequent type. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as choreoathetoid or athetoid) involves slow and uncontrolled writhing movements of the arms, legs and body. Other types of CP might include ataxic palsy, which is characterized by shakey movements, or paraplegic cerebral palsy that affects the legs and arms are affected.
Treatment
The specific symptoms of cerebral palsy differ, the majority of people with the condition have to manage stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also have issues with balance and coordination. The type of problems they experience is dependent on the region of the brain that was injured as well as its degree of the injury.
Many people suffering from CP require specialized physical therapy that helps them improve their mobility and muscle tone as well as stretch and exercise their joints and muscles. It can also help relieve pain and prevent contracture. It can include exercises, special braces or other treatments.
CP is characterised by musculoskeletal conditions, such as hip dysplasia and patella alta. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis may also be present. These disorders can lead to significant mobility issues which can reduce the life expectancy of patients.
Speech and language therapy can be used to help children who are not able to communicate effectively. This may help children learn new ways to communicate and may include sign language, communication board, cerebral palsy or voice synthesizers.
These medicines can be used to stop abnormal movements, decrease the pain, and manage seizures. These medications are taken by mouth or injected into affected muscles or into the surrounding 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. This will be determined by the psychological and physical impact that your child's condition has caused on them, as well as any losses and expenses that you've incurred. This could include loss of earnings due to having to stop working to care for your children, home adaptations and transport expenses.
The lawyer you hire may employ an specialist in disability care, depending on the extent of the injury to your child. The specialist will write a "life care plan" which outlines the needs of your child starting at the time of diagnosis until they are adults. This can help calculate an exact compensation amount. It typically takes the form of a lump sum and regular annual payments, which can be adjusted to reflect inflation.
You must be aware that the amount of compensation you receive from a legal claim isn't a windfall. It is a recognition of wrongdoing that occurred because the medical professional failed to provide the care they were supposed to in labour, pregnancy and birth.
