How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has a profound effect on the child and their family. Compensation can allow them to live a full life with access to equipment, treatment and assistance.

Medical negligence is often the reason for cerebral palsy. This can be caused by an absence of prenatal care, problems during labor and delivery, or other incidents.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can enhance a child's capabilities. Doctors diagnose CP by looking at the tone of a child's muscles, movement and coordination. They may refer the child to specialists such as pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, and physiatrists. These specialists can assist in managing symptoms and improve quality of life.

Every person is affected by cerebral palsy in different ways. It can be mild and have little impact on the abilities of a child but it can also be severe and cause impairments in all body areas. The signs include floppy head (floppy neck), muscles that are stiff or uncontrolled that is difficult to walk or has issues with speech or other functions. If cerebral palsy is only affecting one side of a child's body, it is known as hemiplegia. If it affects both sides, then it's called diplegia. The severity of CP can result in a locked-in (spastic) condition characterized by muscle spasticity that restricts a person's movements and leads to problems with speech and eating.

Birth complications are an often-repeated cause of CP. Nurses, doctors, and midwives must be cautious when giving birth to the baby as damage to the brain could have serious consequences. A doctor may be held liable for mistakes made in the medical field if an error results in cerebral palsy, or brain damage caused by oxygen deficiency. This includes negligence in scheduling or performing an urgent C-section or failing to monitor and escalate a complex labor.

Signs and symptoms

If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, he or will likely suffer from an array of physical symptoms. These symptoms could include tight or stiff muscles or joints, a limp, uncontrolled movements, and issues with balance and posture. Other issues include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and vision and hearing problems.

Cerebral Palsy symptoms are caused by damage to the immature brain, most often during infancy or early childhood. A delay in achieving milestones such as sitting up, crawling, or walking is a common symptom of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience difficulty swallowing and may require feeding tubes.

A variety of factors can trigger the development of an injury to the brain that causes CP and other conditions, such as rubella, cytomegalovirus or toxoplasmosis in the womb, high blood pressure during pregnancy and genetic predisposition. A serious lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during pregnancy or birth is a major cause of CP and bleeding in the brain due to blood vessels that are damaged or blocked.

The symptoms may range from mild to severe, depending on the kind of. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most common form. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as athetoid or choreoathetoid) is characterized by slow and uncontrolled movement of the arms, legs and body. Other types of CP could include ataxic cerebral palsy, characterized by an unstable motion, or paraplegic Cerebral Palsy attorneys palsy in which legs and arms are affected.

Treatment

Although the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy are different, the majority of people suffering from the condition are required to deal with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also experience issues with balance and coordination. The type of issues they suffer from depend on the area of the brain that was injured as well as the severity.

Many people suffering from CP need special physical therapy to increase their muscle tone, mobility, and stretch their joints and muscles. It can also help relieve pain and prevent contractures. Braces, exercises, or other treatments might be included.

Musculoskeletal issues like hip dysplasia, patella alta, scoliosis, and cervical stenosis are prevalent in CP. These can cause significant issues in mobility, which reduces the life expectancy of patients.

Other treatments can include speech and language therapy for children who cannot communicate effectively. This may help children learn new ways of communicating and may include sign language, communication board, or voice synthesizers.

These medications can be used to decrease the abnormal movement, reduce seizures, and ease pain. These medications are taken by mouth or injected into the affected muscles or into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord.

Compensation

If your case of cerebral palsy is successful, you can receive compensation to pay for your child's medical attention, equipment and treatment. The amount of compensation will depend upon the physical and Cerebral palsy attorneys mental effects of your child's illness, as well as on any losses or cerebral Palsy attorneys expenses you might have incurred. This could be a loss of earnings due to you having to work less to care for your children, home adaptations and transportation expenses.

Depending on the severity of your child's injury the lawyer may recommend an expert in disability services to write a "life care plan' that carefully details their needs from the time of their diagnosis until they reach adulthood. This can help calculate an exact compensation amount. This typically takes the form of lump sums and regular annual payments that can be adjusted to keep pace with inflation.

It is important to understand that compensation for a successful legal case is not a monetary windfall. It is a recognition that injustice has occurred, all because a medical professional failed in their obligation to providing care during labor, pregnancy and the birth.