How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis can have an enormous impact on the child's life and that of their family. Compensation can enable them to lead a full and active life by allowing access to care, equipment and support.

Many cases of cerebral palsy stem from medical negligence. This could be caused by inadequate care during pregnancy, or problems during birth, or other occurrences.

Causes

There is no cure for CP however, early diagnosis and treatment can help improve the abilities of a child. Doctors diagnose CP by looking at the muscle tone of a child, movement and coordination. They might refer the child to specialists such as pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, and physiatrists. These specialists can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Every person suffers from cerebral palsy in a different way. It can be mild with minimal impact on a child's ability to function, or severe enough to cause impairments throughout the body. The signs include a floppy (floppy neck) head as well as stiff or uncontrolled muscles, difficulty walking, or having trouble with speech and other functions. If a child's condition is cerebral palsy on one side of the body, this is known as hemiplegia. If it occurs on both sides, it's diplegia. In severe cases, CP can cause 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.

Medical mistakes during childbirth are the leading cause of CP. Midwives, doctors and nurses must be extra cautious when giving birth to babies because brain damage may have serious consequences. A doctor may be held liable for negligence if a medical error results in cerebral palsy or brain damage caused by oxygen deficiency. This is the case when scheduling or performing a Csection urgently or failing to monitor and escalate the intensity of labor.

Symptoms

If your child suffers from red oak cerebral palsy attorney palsy, they'll most likely exhibit a variety of physical symptoms. These symptoms could include stiff or tight muscles as well as a limp, uncontrolled movements, as well as issues with posture and balance. Other issues include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and vision and hearing problems.

Cerebral palsy is a condition caused due to damage to the young brain, typically in the early years of childhood or in infants. A delay in reaching milestones, such as standing up, crawling or walking is a common sign 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 a brain injury that triggers CP, including infections like toxoplasmosis, rubella or cytomegalovirus in the womb as well as high blood pressure during pregnancy and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a severe deficiency of oxygen) during labor or birth is the leading cause of CP.

Symptoms can be mild or extreme based on the type. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most prevalent type. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also called choreoathetoid, or athetoid) is characterized by slow and uncontrolled flailing movements of the arms, legs and the body. Other forms of CP may include ataxic cerebral palsy, characterized by shakey movements and paraplegic pigeon forge cerebral palsy law firm parsy where the arms and legs are affected.

Treatment

While 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 have problems with balance and coordination. The type of movement problems they suffer from depend on the region of the brain which was injured and the degree of the injury.

Many people suffering from CP need specialized physical therapy to improve their mobility, flexibility, and muscle tone and stretch their muscles and joints. It can also help relieve discomfort and prevent contractures. It can include exercises, special braces or other treatments.

Musculoskeletal disorders such as hip dysplasia, patella alta, cervical stenosis, scoliosis are prevalent in CP. These can cause major issues in mobility, which reduces the lifespan of a patient.

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

Medications can be used to relax muscles that are stiff or overactive or muscles, limit abnormal movement, reduce pain and seizures. These drugs can be taken orally, or directly injected into the affected muscles, or into the surrounding fluid of your spinal cord.

Compensation

If your cerebral palsy case is successful, you will receive compensation to cover the cost of special care, equipment, and treatment. The amount of compensation will depend on the physical and mental impact of your child's condition as well as any losses or expenses you may have suffered. This could include the loss of income due to having to work less to take care of your children, home modifications and transportation expenses.

Based on the severity of your child's injuries the lawyer might recommend hiring an expert in disability services to draft a 'life care plan' that meticulously defines their needs starting from the date of their diagnosis until they reach adulthood. This will allow you to calculate an exact amount of compensation. It typically will be lump sums as well as regular annual payments which can be adjusted to keep pace with the rate of inflation.

It is important to know that the amount of compensation you receive for a successful legal claim is not a cash-flow opportunity. It's an acknowledgement of unfairness that was caused by medical professionals did not meet their duty of care during labour, pregnancy and delivery.