How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral palsy has a profound effect on the child and their family. Compensation can allow them to live an active and fulfilling life by allowing access to care, equipment and support.

Many cases of cerebral palsy result from medical negligence. It could be due to an absence of care during pregnancy, problems during delivery or other incidents.

Causes

There is no cure for CP however early diagnosis and treatment can improve the child's capabilities. Doctors diagnose CP in relation to the child's muscle tone and coordination. They might refer a child to specialists like neurologists, pediatric orthopedists and physiatrists who will assist in managing symptoms and increase quality of life.

Everyone is affected by cerebral palsy differently. It can be mild having a minimal impact on a child's ability to function, or severe enough to result in impairments throughout the body. Symptoms can include a floppy (floppy neck) head and stiff or uncontrolled muscles, difficulty walking, or having trouble with speech and other functions. If a child's condition is cerebral palsy lawsuits palsy on one side of the body, this is known as hemiplegia. On both sides, it's called diplegia. Severe CP could result in locked in (spastic), condition with muscle spasticity. This could limit the person's mobility and create difficulties with speech and eating.

Medical mistakes during childbirth are a leading cause of CP. Nurses, midwives, and doctors must be careful when delivering the baby as damage to the brain could cause serious problems. If a medical mistake results in oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, the doctor may be held liable for malpractice. This includes a lack of planning or performing an urgent C-section, or failing to control and escalate a complicated labor.

Signs and symptoms

If your child has cerebral palsy, he or she will likely have various physical symptoms. They could be characterized by tight joints or stiff joints or muscles, a limp, involuntary movement and issues with balance and posture. Other issues include intellectual disability, speech delays and vision and hearing issues.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy lawsuit palsy result from damage to the brain's maturation. This occurs most often during the infancy years of childhood. A delay in milestones such as rolling over, sitting, walking, or crawling may be a sign of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to have difficulty swallowing and may require feeding tubes.

Several factors can contribute to the development of a brain injury that causes 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. Asphyxia (a massive lack of oxygen) during delivery or labor is the most common cause of CP.

Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, the symptoms may vary from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most commonly encountered type. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also called choreoathetoid, or athetoid) involves slow and uncontrolled motions of the arms, legs and the body. Other forms of CP may include ataxic cerebral palsy, characterized by shakey movements, or paraplegic cerebral palsy in which the legs and arms are affected.

Treatment

The specific symptoms of cerebral palsy vary, most people suffering from the condition are required to deal with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with balance and coordination. The type of movement problems they have depend on the area of their brain that was injured as well as the degree of the injury.

Many people suffering from CP need special physical therapy to improve their mobility, tone of muscles and stretch their joints and muscles. It can also ease the discomfort and prevent contracture. It could include exercises, special braces, or other treatments.

CP is caused by musculoskeletal issues like hip dysplasia and patella alta. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis also occur. These can cause major problems in mobility, which decreases the life expectancy of patients.

Other treatments can include speech and language therapy for children who are unable to communicate effectively. This can help children learn new ways to communicate and may include sign language, communication board or voice synthesizers.

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

Compensation

A successful cerebral palsy claim could result in compensation for your child's for specialized care, equipment and treatment. This will be based on the psychological and physical effects that your child's condition has had on them, in addition to any expenses and losses you've had to pay. This could include the loss of earnings as you had to stop work to care for your child, home adaptions and transportation costs to transport your child to and from appointments.

Based on the degree of the injury to your child Your lawyer could hire an expert in disability services to write a "life care plan' that clearly details their needs beginning with the date of their diagnosis until adulthood. This will allow you to calculate a more accurate amount of compensation. This usually is lump sums as well as regular annual payments that are adjusted to keep pace with inflation.

It is important to know that the amount of compensation you receive for a successful legal claim is not a windfall. It is a recognition of the injustice that occurred due to the fact that the medical professional failed to fulfill their duty of care in labour, pregnancy and birth.