How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy can have profound consequences for the child and their family. Compensation can enable them to lead a full and active life by allowing access to care and equipment, as well as assistance.

Medical negligence is usually the reason for cerebral palsy. It can be caused by an absence of prenatal care, issues during labor and birth or other incidents.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can enhance a child's abilities. Doctors can diagnose CP by observing a child's muscle tone and coordination, as well as movement. They may refer the child to specialists, such as pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists or physiatrists. These specialists can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Everyone suffers from cerebral palsy in a unique way. It can be relatively mild and have no impact on a child's abilities, or it can be severe and cause impairments across all body areas. The symptoms can include a neck that is floppy (floppy neck) as well as a muscles that are stiff or inflexible, difficulty walking or having problems with speech and other functions. If cerebral palsy lawyer palsy affects only one side of the child's body, it is called hemiplegia. If it affects both sides of the body, it is referred to as diplegia. In severe cases, CP could result in a locked-in (spastic) condition that is characterized by muscle spasticity. This can restrict the movement of a person and create difficulties with speech and eating.

Medical mistakes during childbirth are a leading cause of CP. Doctors, midwives and nurses should be extra cautious when delivering the baby as damage to the brain may cause serious problems. A doctor may be held liable for malpractice if a medical mistake causes cerebral palsy or brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. This includes negligence when scheduling or performing a C section urgently or failing to monitor and escalate the intensity of labor.

Symptoms

If your child suffers from cerebral palsy, he or will likely suffer from a combination of physical symptoms. These symptoms could include tight or stiff muscles or joints, a limp, uncontrolled movements, and issues with posture and balance. Other issues include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and hearing and vision problems.

Cerebral palsy symptoms are caused by damage to the immature brain, typically during infancy or early childhood. A delay in reaching milestones, such as rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking is a typical symptom of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience difficulty swallowing and may require feeding tubes.

A variety of factors can cause a brain injury that leads to CP. This includes diseases like toxoplasmosis, or rubella during pregnancy; high blood pressure during pregnancy; and genetic predisposition. A severe lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during the birth or during labor is a major reason for CP as is bleeding in the brain due to blood vessels that are blocked or damaged.

Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, the symptoms can range from mild to severe. The most commonly encountered kind of cerebral palsy is spastic cerebral palsy, which is characterised by muscles that are stiff. Dyskinetic cerebral Palsy attorney Palsy (also called athetoid, choreoathetoid or choreoathetoid), is known as a slow and uncontrolled writhing of the legs, arms and the body. Other forms of CP include ataxic cerebral palsy (which is characterized by a shakey movement) or paraplegic CP, where the arms and legs are affected.

Treatment

While the symptoms of cerebral palsy differ, the majority of sufferers of the condition experience stiffness, as well as a decrease in muscle control. They may also experience issues with coordination and balance. The type of movement problem that they experience is based on what area of the brain was injured and the degree of the injury.

Many people with CP need specific physical therapy in order to increase their mobility, muscle tone, and stretch their joints and muscles. It can also help relieve discomfort and prevent contractures. Braces, exercises or other treatments may be included.

Musculoskeletal disorders like hip dysplasia, patella alta, cervical stenosis, scoliosis are common in CP. These disorders can lead to significant mobility issues, which reduces life expectancy.

Speech and therapy for language are a way to aid children who are unable to communicate effectively. This may help them learn new ways of communicating and may involve 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 the affected muscles or into the fluid that surrounds 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 physical and mental consequences of your child's condition and any losses or expenses that you might have incurred. This could include the loss of income due to having to take a break from work to take care of your child, home modifications and transport costs to get your child to and from appointments.

Your lawyer may hire an expert in disability-related care in accordance with the degree of the injury to your child. This specialist will draft a "life care plan" that will outline their needs starting at the time of diagnosis until they reach the age of adulthood. This will help you calculate an exact compensation amount. This usually takes the form of a lump sum as well as regular annual payments which could be indexed to keep pace with inflation.

It is important to be aware that compensation from a successful legal action isn't a huge sum. It's an acknowledgement that injustice has occurred, all because medical professionals did not fulfill their obligation to providing care during labor, pregnancy and delivery.