Cerebral Palsy Attorneys: What's No One Is Talking About
How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim
A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has a profound impact on the child's life and the lives of their family. Compensation can help them lead an active and fulfilling life by allowing access to care equipment and assistance.
Medical negligence is usually the cause of cerebral palsy. This can be caused by inadequate prenatal care, complications during labour and delivery or other occurrences.
Causes
There is no cure for CP, but early diagnosis and treatment may improve the capabilities of a child. Doctors diagnose CP through the child's movements, muscle coordination and tone. They may refer the child to specialists, like pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists or physiatrists. These specialists can assist in managing symptoms and improve quality of life.
Every person is affected by cerebral palsy in a different way. It can be moderate and have only a slight impact on a child's abilities, or it can be severe and cause impairments across all body parts. The symptoms could include a Floppy head (floppy neck) muscles that are stiff or inflexible that is difficult to walk or has issues with speech or other functions. If cerebral palsy affects only one side of a child's body, it is referred to as hemiplegia. If it affects both sides of the body, then it's called diplegia. In severe cases, CP can cause a locked in (spastic), condition with muscle spasticity. This could limit the movement of a person and make it difficult to speak and eating.
Medical mistakes during childbirth are the most common cause of CP. Midwives, doctors and nurses must be cautious when delivering babies because brain damage may result in serious consequences. If a medical mistake causes oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, the doctor could be held accountable for negligence. This includes a lack of planning or performing an urgent C-section or the failure to control and escalate a complicated labor.
Signs and symptoms
If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, he or she will likely have an array of physical symptoms. These symptoms may include stiff or tight muscles as well as a limp, uncontrolled movements, and problems with balance and posture. Other issues can include intellectual disabilities, speech delays and hearing and vision issues.
Cerebral palsy symptoms are caused by damage to the developing brain, usually in infancy or early childhood. A delay in milestones like sitting, rolling over, walking, or crawling can be a sign of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to have difficulty swallowing and may require feeding tubes.
cerebral palsy attorneys orange of factors can trigger the development of a brain injury that leads to CP that can be caused by infections such as rubella, toxoplasmosis or cytomegalovirus in the womb and high blood pressure in pregnancy, and genetic predisposition. A massive lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during labor or delivery is a major cause of CP as is the occurrence of bleeding in the brain from damaged or blocked blood vessels.
Depending on the form of cerebral palsy, symptoms may range from mild to severe. The most common type of cerebral palsy is spastic cerebral palsy. It is characterized by muscles that are stiff. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as choreoathetoid or athetoid) involves uncontrolled and slow writhing movements of the arms, legs and the body. Other forms of CP may include ataxic cerebral palsy, which is characterized by an unstable motion and paraplegic cerebral parsy where the legs and arms are affected.
Treatment
Although the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy differ, the majority of people suffering from the condition are required to deal with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with coordination and balance. The type of issues they experience will depend on the region of the brain that was injured as well as the extent of the injury.
Many people with CP require special physical therapy which helps them to improve their muscle tone and mobility and stretch and work their joints and muscles. It can also ease the pain and prevent contractures. It could include exercises, special braces, or other treatments.
Musculoskeletal issues like patella alta, hip dysplasia, scoliosis, and cervical stenosis are common in CP. These disorders can lead to major mobility problems and reduce life expectancy.
Speech and therapy for language can be used to assist children who are unable to communicate effectively. This can assist them to learn new ways of communicating and could include sign language, communication boards or voice synthesizers.
Medications can be used to ease stiff or overactive muscles and reduce abnormal movement. They also reduce pain and seizures. These medications are taken by mouth or injected into affected muscles or into the fluid around the spinal cord.
Compensation
A successful claim for cerebral palsy can result in compensation for your child to pay for specialized care, equipment and treatment. This will be determined by the physical and psychological impact that your child's condition has caused on them, as well as any costs or losses you've incurred. This could be a loss of earnings due to you having to stop working to take care of your children, house modifications and transport expenses.
The lawyer you hire may employ an expert in disability care in accordance with the degree of the injury to your child. The expert will develop an "life care plan" that details their needs from the time of diagnosis until they become adults. This can help you calculate the most accurate amount of compensation. It typically is in the form of a lump sum and regular annual payments, which can be adjusted to keep pace with the rate of inflation.
You should know that compensation for a successful legal case is not a quick cash payout. It's an acknowledgement that injustice has occurred, and all due to medical professionals did not fulfill their obligation to care during pregnancy, labour and delivery.