How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim

A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis can have profound implications on the child's life as well as the lives of their parents. Compensation can help them live a fuller life, with access to equipment, treatment and support.

Many cases of cerebral palsy stem from medical negligence. This could be caused by an absence of medical attention during pregnancy, issues during birth, or other occurrences.

Causes

Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can improve a child’s abilities. Doctors can diagnose CP by looking at a child's muscle tone, movement and coordination. 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 lawsuits palsy in different ways. It can be relatively mild and have no impact on a child's abilities but it can also be severe and cause impairments to all body areas. Some of the symptoms include a floppy (floppy neck) head, stiff or uncontrolled muscles as well as difficulty walking or having difficulty with speech and other functions. If a child only has cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's called hemiplegia; on both sides, it's diplegia. A severe CP can cause a locked-in (spastic) condition, which is characterized by muscle spasticity. This could limit the person's mobility and make it difficult to speak and eating.

Childbirth-related medical errors are an often-repeated reason for CP. Nurses, midwives, and doctors should be cautious when delivering a baby because damage to the brain can cause serious problems. If a medical mistake causes oxygen deprivation or other brain injury that causes cerebral palsy, the physician could be held responsible for negligence. This could include negligence in scheduling or performing a C-section urgently or failing to supervise and escalate the complexity of labor.

Signs and symptoms

If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, he / she will likely have several physical symptoms. These symptoms may include tight or stiff muscles, a limp, uncontrolled movements, as well as issues with balance and posture. Other issues include intellectual disabilities, speech delays as well as hearing and vision problems.

The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's maturation. It is most commonly seen 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 suffering from CP may also have difficulty swallowing, and may need a feeding device.

A variety of factors can cause an injury to the brain that results in CP. These include infections like toxoplasmosis or rubella in the womb, high blood pressure during pregnancy and genetic predisposition. A significant lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during the birth or during labor is a major reason for CP and bleeding in the brain from damaged or blocked blood vessels.

Depending on the type of cerebral palsy, symptoms can range from mild to severe. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterized by stiff muscles) is the most frequent type. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy (also called choreoathetoid, or athetoid) is characterized by slow and uncontrolled movement of the arms, legs and body. Other types of CP may include ataxic cerebral palsy that has an unstable motion, or paraplegic cerebral palsy in which the arms and legs are affected.

Treatment

The specific symptoms of cerebral palsy vary, most people suffering from the condition are required to cope with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also have issues with coordination and balance. The type of problems they experience will depend on the area of their brain which was injured and the severity.

Many people suffering from CP need specific physical therapy in order to increase their muscle tone, mobility, and stretch their muscles and joints. It can also help relieve the pain and prevent contracture. It can include exercises, braces with special features, or other treatments.

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

Other treatments could include speech and language therapies for children who cannot communicate effectively. It can help children develop new ways to communicate and could include communication board, or voice synthesizers.

These medications can be used to relax muscles that are stiff or overactive, reduce abnormal movement, relieve pain, and control seizures. These medications are ingested by mouth or injected into affected muscles or into the fluid around the spinal cord.

Compensation

A successful cerebral palsy claim could result in compensation for your child to pay for specialized care, equipment and treatment. The amount will be determined on the mental and physical effects of your child's condition and any expenses or losses you may have suffered. This could include the loss of earnings due to having to leave work in order to take care of your child, home adaptions and transport costs to get your child to and from appointments.

Your lawyer could hire an expert in disability care dependent on the severity of the injury to your child. The expert will develop a "life care plan" which outlines the needs of your child from the moment of diagnosis until they turn adults. This will allow you to calculate an accurate amount of compensation. It is typically in the form of a lump-sum and regular annual payments, which may be indexed to keep pace with the rate of inflation.

You should be aware that the amount of compensation you receive from a legal action isn't a huge sum. It is a recognition of unfairness that was caused by medical professionals did not perform their duty of care during labour, pregnancy, and birth.