How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has an enormous impact on the child's life as well as the lives of their families. Compensation can help them lead an active and fulfilling life by allowing access to care and equipment, as well as support.

Many cases of cerebral palsy are the result of medical negligence. It can be caused by an absence of prenatal care, complications during labor and delivery or other occurrences.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment for CP can help improve a child's abilities. Doctors diagnose CP by observing the tone of a child's muscles 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 the quality of life.

Cerebral palsy affects everyone differently. It can be mild and have little impact on the abilities of a child however, it can also be severe and cause impairments across all body areas. It can be characterized by an oversized (floppy neck) head as well as stiff or uncontrolled muscles that are difficult to walk, or having difficulty with speech and other functions. If Fort Gibson Cerebral Palsy Law Firm palsy is only affecting one side of the child's body, then it is called hemiplegia. If it affects both sides of the body, then it is called diplegia. In severe cases, CP could cause a locked in (spastic), condition with muscle spasticity. This could limit the person's mobility and make it difficult to speak and eating.

Medical mistakes in childbirth are a common reason for CP. Doctors, midwives and nurses should be extra cautious when delivering babies because damage to the brain can cause serious problems. A physician may be held liable for malpractice if a medical mistake results in cerebral palsy, or brain damage due to oxygen deficiency. This includes negligence when scheduling or performing a Csection urgently or failing to monitor and increase the intensity of labor.

Symptoms

If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, they will most likely display a variety of physical signs. These could include tight or stiff joints as well as a limp, uncontrolled movement and problems with balance and posture. Other issues include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and vision and hearing problems.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's immature state. This occurs most often in the infant or early years of childhood. A slowing down in reaching milestones such as rolling over, standing up, crawling or walking is a common sign of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience difficulties swallowing and may require feeding tubes.

There are a variety of factors that can contribute to a brain injury that leads to CP. These include infections like toxoplasmosis or rubella in the womb high blood pressure during pregnancy; and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a serious lack of oxygen) during labor or delivery is the main cause of CP.

Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, symptoms can vary from mild to severe. The most frequent type of bridgeview cerebral palsy lawyer palsy is spastic cerebral psoriasis, which is defined by muscles that are stiff. Dyskinetic cerebral Palsy (also known as athetoid, choreoathetoid, or choreoathetoid), is defined by the uncontrolled writhing and swaying of the legs, arms and the body. Other forms of CP may include ataxic cerebral palsy, which has an unstable motion and paraplegic cerebral parsy, in which the legs and arms are affected.

Treatment

While the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy differ, the majority of sufferers of the condition have to deal with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with balance and coordination. The type of movement issue that they suffer from is dependent on what area of the brain was injured and the severity of the injury.

Many people with CP require special physical therapy which helps them improve their muscle tone and mobility and stretch and exercise their muscles and joints. It can also help relieve tension and prevent contracture. Braces, exercises, or other treatments may be considered.

CP is characterized by musculoskeletal disorders that include patella alta and hip dysplasia. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis are also common. These conditions can cause major mobility problems and reduce life expectancy.

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

Medications can be used to relax overactive or stiff muscles to reduce abnormal movement, reduce pain and seizures. The medication is taken by mouth or injected into the affected muscles or into the fluid around the spinal cord.

Compensation

If your cerebral palsy case is successful, you can be compensated to provide your child with special care, equipment, and treatment. This will be determined by the physical and psychological impact that your child's condition has caused on them, in addition to any costs or losses that you've incurred. These could include loss of earnings because you have had to stop work to care for your child, home adaptations and transport costs to get your child to and from appointments.

The lawyer you hire may employ an expert in disability care, depending on the severity of the injuries to your child. The expert will develop a "life care plan" that details their needs from the moment they are diagnosed until they turn adults. This will help you determine a more accurate amount of compensation. This usually will be lump sums and regular annual payments that can be indexed to keep up with inflation.

It is important to know that compensation from a successful legal claim isn't a windfall. It's a recognition of the fact that injustice has occurred due to medical professionals didn't fulfill their duty of medical care during pregnancy, labour and the birth.