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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 allow them to live a fuller life, with access to medical equipment, care and assistance.

Many cases of cerebral palsy stem from medical negligence. 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 can help improve the abilities of a child. Doctors can diagnose CP by observing the child’s muscle tone and coordination, as well as movement. They may refer the child to specialists such as pediatric neurologists, pediatric orthopedists and physiatrists. These specialists can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.

Every person is affected by cerebral palsy law firms palsy in different ways. It can be mild, with a minimal effect on a child’s function, or it can be extremely severe and cause impairments throughout the body. The signs include Floppy head (floppy neck) muscles that are stiff or inflexible and walking difficulties, or issues with speech or other functions. If a child’s condition is cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it’s referred to as hemiplegia. When it happens on both sides, it’s called diplegia. Severe CP can lead to a locked-in (spastic) condition that causes muscle spasticity, which restricts the person’s movement and can lead to difficulties with speech and eating.

Childbirth-related medical errors are an often-repeated cause of CP. Nurses, midwives, and doctors should be extra cautious when delivering babies as damage to the brain may cause serious problems. A doctor could be held responsible for malpractice if a medical error causes cerebral palsy or brain damage due to oxygen deprivation. This is the case when scheduling or performing a C section urgently or failing to monitor and escalate the intensity of the labor.

Signs and symptoms

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

The symptoms of cerebral Palsy attorney palsy are caused by damage to an immature brain. This is usually the case during the infancy years of childhood. A slowing down in reaching milestones such as sitting up, crawling or walking is a common symptom of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience difficulty swallowing and may require a feeding tube.

Several factors can contribute to the development of a brain injury that triggers CP, including infections like toxoplasmosis, rubella or cytomegalovirus in the womb as well as high blood pressure during pregnancy, and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a severe lack of oxygen) during labor or birth is the most common cause of CP.

Depending on the form of cerebral palsy, symptoms can range from mild to severe. The most frequent type of cerebral palsy is spastic cerebral palsy, which is characterised by muscles that are stiff. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also known as athetoid or choreoathetoid) involves uncontrolled and slow motions of the arms, legs and the body. Other types of CP include ataxic cerebral Palsy (which has a shaky movement) or paraplegic CP in which the legs and arms are affected.

Treatment

While the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy vary, most 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 issue that they experience is based on the area of the brain that was injured and the degree of the injury.

Many people suffering from CP require special physical therapy to increase their mobility, tone of muscles and stretch their muscles and joints. It can also help relieve pain and prevent contractures. Braces, exercises or other treatments might be considered.

Musculoskeletal disorders such as patella alta, hip dysplasia, scoliosis, and cervical stenosis are prevalent in CP. These can cause major issues in mobility, which reduces life expectancy.

Other treatments could include speech and language therapy for children who cannot communicate effectively. This can help them 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 manage seizures. The medication is taken by mouth or injected into affected muscles or into the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord.

Compensation

If your cerebral palsy case is successful, you can be awarded compensation to you pay for specialist care, equipment, and treatment. The compensation will be based on the physical and mental impact of your child’s condition and any losses or expenses you may have incurred. This could include the loss of income due to having to take a break from work to care for your child, home modifications and transport costs to get your child to and from appointments.

Depending on the severity of your child’s injuries the lawyer may recommend a specialist in disability care to create a “life care plan’ that meticulously defines their needs from the date of their diagnosis until they reach adulthood. This can help you calculate an accurate amount of compensation. It usually takes the form of a lump-sum and regular annual payments, which can be index to keep pace with inflation.

It is important to understand that compensation for a legal case that is successful is not a monetary windfall. It’s an acknowledgement of injustice that occurred because the medical professional failed to meet their duty of care during labour, pregnancy, and delivery.