The 10 Most Scariest Things About Cerebral Palsy Attorneys
How to Make a Successful cerebral palsy law firms Palsy Claim
A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis can have profound effects on the child's life and the lives of their parents. Compensation can help them live a full and fulfilling life, with access to equipment, care and assistance.
Many cases of cerebral palsy arise from medical negligence. This could be due to the lack of prenatal care, problems during labour and delivery or other events.
Causes
Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can help improve a child's abilities. Doctors determine CP through the child's movement, muscle coordination and tone. They might refer the child to specialists, like pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, and physiatrists. These specialists can assist in managing symptoms and improve quality of life.
Everyone suffers from cerebral palsy in a different way. It can be moderate and have only a slight impact on a child's abilities but it can also be severe and cause impairments in every body part. The signs can include a floppy head (floppy neck) muscles that are stiff or uncontrolled and walking difficulties, or difficulties with speech and other functions. If a child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's known as hemiplegia. If it occurs on both sides, it's diplegia. A severe CP can result in a locked-in (spastic) condition characterized by muscle spasticity that limits the person's movement and can lead to problems with speech and cerebral palsy eating.
Medical mistakes in childbirth are the most common cause of CP. Doctors, midwives, and nurses should be careful when delivering babies as brain damage could have serious consequences. If a medical error causes oxygen deprivation or other brain injury that causes cerebral palsy, the doctor could be held responsible for malpractice. This includes negligence when scheduling or performing a C-section urgently or failing to supervise and escalate the intensity of labor.
Symptoms
If your child suffers from cerebral palsy, he or is likely to have an array of physical symptoms. They could be characterized by stiff or tight joints or muscles, a limp, involuntary movement and issues with balance and posture. Other issues can include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and vision and hearing issues.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to an immature brain. This occurs most often in the early years of childhood. A delay in reaching milestones such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling or walking is a common sign of CP. Children with CP may also have difficulties swallowing, and may need a feeding device.
Several factors may contribute to a brain injury that leads to CP. These include diseases like toxoplasmosis, cerebral Palsy or rubella in the womb high blood pressure during pregnancy; and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a serious lack of oxygen) during delivery or labor is the main cause of CP.
Based on the kind of cerebral palsy (link), the symptoms may vary from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most common type. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as athetoid or choreoathetoid) is characterized by slow and uncontrolled motions of the arms, legs and the body. Other types of CP might include ataxic palsy, which is characterized by a shaky motion, or paraplegic cerebral palsy in which the arms and legs are affected.
Treatment
While the symptoms specific to cerebral palsy can vary, a majority of sufferers have to manage stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with coordination and balance. The type of problems they have depend on the part of the brain that was injured and the extent of the injury.
Many people with CP require specific physical therapy that assists them improve their muscle tone and mobility and stretch and strengthen their joints and muscles. It can also ease the discomfort and prevent contractures. Braces, exercises, or other treatments can be considered.
Musculoskeletal issues like patella alta, hip dysplasia, scoliosis, and cervical stenosis are common in CP. These can cause major problems in mobility, which reduces life expectancy.
Other treatments can include speech and language therapies for children who cannot communicate effectively. This may help them discover new ways of communicating and could include sign language, communication boards, or voice synthesizers.
They can relax muscles that are stiff or overactive or muscles, limit abnormal movement, alleviate pain, and to control seizures. These medications are taken by mouth or injected into affected muscles or into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord.
Compensation
A successful cerebral palsy claim can result in compensation for your child to pay for medical equipment, specialist care and treatment. The amount of compensation will depend on the mental and physical impact of your child's condition and any losses or expenses that you might have incurred. These might include loss of earnings due to having stop work to take care of your child, house 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 issues to create a "life care plan' that lists all the needs of your child from the date of their diagnosis until adulthood. This will help you calculate an accurate amount of compensation. It usually is in the form of a lump sum and regular annual payments that are indexed to keep up with inflation.
It is important to know that the compensation for a successful legal claim is not a cash-flow opportunity. It's an acknowledgement that injustice was committed, all because medical professionals didn't fulfill their duty of care during pregnancy, labour and the birth.
