How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy can have profound effects on the child and their family. Compensation can help them live a full and active life by providing access, equipment and support.

Medical negligence is usually the cause of cerebral palsy. This can be caused by an absence of prenatal care, problems during labor and delivery or other occurrences.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment for CP can enhance a child's abilities. Doctors diagnose CP in relation to a child's movement, muscle tone and coordination. They can refer the child to specialists such as neurologists, orthopedists for children and physiatrists to assist in managing symptoms and improving the quality of life.

Cerebral palsy affects all people differently. It can be mild and have little impact on a child's ability but it can also be severe and cause impairments in all body parts. Some of the symptoms include a floppy (floppy neck) head as well as stiff or uncontrolled muscles, difficulty walking, or having trouble with speech and other functions. If cerebral palsy only affects one side of the child's body, it is called hemiplegia. If it affects both sides of the body, it is known as diplegia. Severe CP can result in a locked-in (spastic) condition that is characterized by muscle spasticity that restricts a person's movements and leads to difficulties with speech and eating.

Birth-related medical errors are the most common cause of CP. Doctors, midwives, and nurses should be careful when delivering babies as brain damage could cause serious harm. A physician may be held liable for malpractice if a medical mistake results in cerebral palsy or brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation. This could include negligence in scheduling or performing an urgent C-section, or inability to supervise and escalate the complexity of labor.

Symptoms

If your child suffers from cerebral palsy lawyer palsy, he / will likely suffer from a combination of physical symptoms. The symptoms can include tight or lawsuit stiff muscles, a limp, uncontrolled movements, as well as issues with posture and lawsuit balance. Other issues include speech delays, intellectual disabilities as well as hearing and vision issues.

Cerebral Palsy symptoms are caused by damage to the developing brain, typically in the early years of childhood or in infants. A delay in reaching milestones, such as rolling over, standing up, crawling or walking is a typical symptom of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to have difficulties swallowing and may require a feeding tube.

There are a variety of factors that can contribute to a brain injury that leads to CP. These include infections such as toxoplasmosis or rubella in the womb high blood pressure during pregnancy and genetic predisposition. A severe lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during pregnancy or birth is a major reason for CP, as is bleeding in the brain due to blood vessels that are damaged or blocked.

Depending on the type of cerebral palsy lawsuits palsy, symptoms can range from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most frequent type. Dyskinetic cerebral Palsy (also known as athetoid, choreoathetoid or choreoathetoid), is known as a slow and uncontrolled writhing movements of the legs, arms and body. Other types of CP could include ataxic cerebral palsy, which has an unstable motion, or paraplegic cerebral palsy in which the arms and legs are affected.

Treatment

Though the symptoms of cerebral palsy can vary, the majority patients with the condition experience stiffness and loss in muscle control. They may also be struggling with balance and coordination. The type of movement problem that they have depends on which brain area was injured and the severity of the injury.

Many people with CP require special physical therapy that allows them improve their muscle tone and mobility and stretch and exercise their muscles and joints. It can also relieve discomfort and prevent contracture. Braces, exercises or other treatments may be included.

CP is caused by musculoskeletal issues like patella alta and hip dysplasia. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis are also common. These conditions can cause major mobility problems, which reduces life expectancy.

Other treatments include speech and language therapies for children who are unable to communicate effectively. This can help them discover new ways of communicating and may involve sign language, communication boards, or voice synthesizers.

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

Compensation

If your cerebral palsy case is successful, you may be awarded compensation to pay for your child's medical attention, equipment and treatment. This will be based on the psychological and physical impact that your child's condition has had on them, as well as the costs and losses you've had to pay. These could include loss of earnings because you have had to leave work in order to take care of your child, home adaptations and transport costs to get your child to and from appointments.

Depending on the severity of your child's injuries the lawyer might recommend hiring an expert in disability care to develop a "lifecare plan' that carefully details their needs from the date of their diagnosis until adulthood. This will allow you to calculate an accurate amount of compensation. This is usually in the form of a lump-sum and annual installments, which could be indexed to keep up with the rate of inflation.

It is important to understand that the compensation for a successful legal claim is not a quick cash payout. It's an acknowledgement that injustice was committed, all because medical professionals didn't fulfill their duty of care during pregnancy, labour and delivery.