The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Cerebral Palsy Attorneys
How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim
A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has profound implications on the child's life and that of their family. Compensation can help them live an active and healthy life by allowing access to care, equipment and assistance.
Many cases of cerebral palsy arise from medical negligence. It can be caused by an absence of prenatal care, problems during labour and delivery or other occurrences.
Causes
Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can enhance a child's abilities. Doctors can diagnose CP by observing the child's muscle tone, movement and coordination. They might refer the child to specialists, such as pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists or physiatrists. These specialists can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Everyone suffers from cerebral palsy in different ways. It can be mild and have a minimal impact on a child's abilities or severe and cause impairments across all body areas. Symptoms can include an oversized (floppy neck) head and stiff or uncontrolled muscles and walking difficulties, or having trouble with speech and other functions. If a child only has cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's referred to as hemiplegia. On both sides, it's called diplegia. Severe CP can cause a locked-in (spastic) condition that causes muscle spasticity that limits the person's movement and can lead to difficulties with speech and eating.
The occurrence of medical errors during childbirth is the most common cause of CP. Nurses, doctors, and midwives should be cautious when delivering babies because damage to the brain could cause serious problems. If a medical mistake results in oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, the physician could be held accountable for malpractice. This includes negligence in scheduling or performing an urgent C-section, or failure to monitor and escalate a complicated labor.
Symptoms
If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy lawsuit palsy, he or is likely to have several physical symptoms. They could be characterized by tight or stiff joints or muscles, a limp, involuntary movement, and issues with balance and posture. Other problems include intellectual disabilities, speech delays as well as hearing and vision problems.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy are caused by damage to the brain's maturation. It usually occurs during infancy or the early years of childhood. A delay in milestones such as rolling over, sitting, walking, or crawling may be an indication of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to have trouble swallowing and might need a feeding tube.
Several factors can contribute to the development of a brain injury that triggers CP that can be caused by infections such as rubella, toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus in the womb, high blood pressure during pregnancy, and genetic predisposition. A severe lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during the birth or during labor is a major cause for CP and bleeding in the brain due to blocked or broken blood vessels.
Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, the symptoms may range from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy attorney palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most commonly encountered type. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as choreoathetoid or athetoid) involves slow and uncontrolled flailing movements of the arms, cerebral palsy legs and body. Other types of CP can include ataxic palsy, which has a shaky motion, or paraplegic cerebral palsy that affects the legs and arms are affected.
Treatment
While the symptoms specific to cerebral palsy differ, the majority of people with the condition have to contend with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with coordination and balance. The type of issues they suffer from depend on the part of the brain that was injured as well as the degree of the injury.
Many people with CP require specialized physical therapy that helps them improve their muscle tone and mobility and stretch and strengthen their muscles and joints. It also helps relieve discomfort and help prevent contractures. It can include exercises, special braces, or other treatments.
CP is caused by musculoskeletal issues like patella alta and hip dysplasia. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis can also be seen. These conditions can cause major issues in mobility, which decreases the lifespan of a patient.
Speech and therapy for language are a way to help children who are not able to communicate effectively. This may help children learn new ways of communicating. These may include sign language, communication board or voice synthesizers.
The use of medications can relax overactive or stiff muscles and reduce abnormal movement. They also relieve pain, and control seizures. These medications can be administered orally or directly into the affected muscles, or into the surrounding fluid of your spinal cord.
Compensation
A successful cerebral palsy claim could result in compensation for your child's for medical equipment, specialist care and treatment. The amount of compensation will depend upon the physical and mental consequences of your child's condition and any losses or expenses you may have suffered. This could be a loss of earnings due to having to stop working to care for your children, home adaptations and transport costs.
Your lawyer may hire an expert in disability-related care according to the severity of the injuries to your child. The specialist will create an "life care plan" which outlines the needs of your child from the time of diagnosis until they are adults. This will allow you to calculate an exact compensation amount. It usually takes the form of a lump sum and recurring annual payments which could be indexed to keep pace with inflation.
You should be aware that the amount of compensation you receive from a legal claim isn't a windfall. It's a recognition that injustice has occurred, and all due to medical professionals did not fulfill their obligation to care during pregnancy, labour and delivery.
