How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has profound implications on the child's life and the lives of their parents. Compensation can help them live a full life with access to medical equipment, care and support.

Many cases of cerebral palsy stem from medical negligence. This could be caused by an absence of medical attention during pregnancy, issues during birth, or other occurrences.

Causes

There is no cure for CP but early detection and treatment can enhance the abilities of a child. Doctors diagnose CP by looking at the tone of a child's muscles and coordination, as well as movement. They might refer children to specialists such as neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, and physiatrists who will help manage symptoms and improve the quality of life for children.

Every person is affected by cerebral palsy in a unique way. It can be mild with a minimal effect on a child's ability function, or it can be extremely severe and cause physical impairments throughout the body. The symptoms could include a neck that is floppy (floppy neck) as well as a muscles that are stiff or uncontrolled, difficulty walking or having issues with speech or 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. A severe CP may lead to a locked-in (spastic), condition with muscle spasticity. This can restrict the person's mobility and result in difficulty speaking and eating.

The occurrence of medical errors during childbirth is the most common cause of CP. Midwives, doctors, and nurses should be cautious when delivering babies because brain damage can have serious consequences. If a medical error results in oxygen deprivation, or other brain injury that causes cerebral palsy lawsuits palsy, the physician could be held accountable for negligence. This includes a lack of planning or performing an urgent C-section or inability to monitor and escalate a complicated labor.

Signs and symptoms

If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, he or will likely suffer from several physical symptoms. This could include tight or stiff joints as well as a limp, uncontrolled movement and problems with balance and posture. Other problems include intellectual disabilities, speech delays as well as hearing and vision problems.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's maturation. It usually occurs during the infancy years of childhood. A delay in achieving milestones such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling or walking is a typical sign of CP. Children with CP might also have trouble swallowing and may require a feeding device.

There are a variety of factors that can contribute to the brain injury that causes CP. This includes infections like toxoplasmosis and rubella in the womb; high blood pressure during pregnancy; and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a severe deficiency of oxygen) during labor or delivery is the leading cause of CP.

Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most commonly encountered form. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also called choreoathetoid, or athetoid) is characterized by slow, uncontrolled flailing movements of the arms, legs and body. Other forms of CP can include ataxic palsy, which has shakey movements, or Cerebral Palsy paraplegic cerebral palsy in which the arms and legs are affected.

Treatment

The specific symptoms of cerebral palsy can vary, a majority of sufferers of the condition have to cope with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also have problems with coordination and balance. The type of movement problems they experience will depend on the area of the brain which was injured and the extent of the injury.

Many people suffering from CP need special physical therapy that can improve their mobility, tone of muscles and stretch their muscles and joints. It also helps relieve pain and prevent contracture. It can include exercises, braces that are specially designed, or other treatments.

CP is defined by musculoskeletal problems, such as patella alta and hip dysplasia. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis also occur. These disorders can lead to major mobility problems which can reduce the life expectancy of patients.

Other treatments could include speech and language therapies for children who cannot communicate effectively. This can help them to discover new ways of communicating and could include sign language, communication boards, or voice synthesizers.

The use of medications can relax stiff or overactive muscles or muscles, limit abnormal movement, relieve pain, and control seizures. These drugs can be taken orally, or directly injected into the muscles affected, or the fluid surrounding your spinal cord.

Compensation

A successful cerebral palsy claim could result in compensation for your child's for medical equipment, specialist care and treatment. This will be determined by the psychological and physical effects that your child's condition has had on them, in addition to the costs and losses you have incurred. This could include lost earnings due to having to work less to care for your children, house modifications and transport expenses.

Your lawyer could hire an expert in disability, depending on the extent of the injury to your child. This specialist will draft an "life care plan" that will outline their needs starting at the time of diagnosis until they are adults. This can help calculate a more accurate compensation sum. This is usually in the form of a lump sum and recurring annual payments which could be indexed to keep up 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 monetary windfall. It's an acknowledgement that injustice has occurred, and all due to medical professionals didn't fulfill their obligation to medical care during pregnancy, labour and delivery.