How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim
A diagnosis of cerebral palsy has profound effects on the child and their family. Compensation can allow them to live a full and active life by allowing access to care, equipment and assistance.
Many cases of cerebral palsy are the result of medical negligence. It could be due to inadequate medical attention during pregnancy, difficulties during the birth process or other incidents.
Causes
Early diagnosis and treatment of CP can help improve a child's capabilities. Doctors can diagnose CP by looking at the tone of a child's muscles, movement and coordination. They may refer children to specialists like neurologists, pediatric orthopedists and physiatrists to help manage symptoms and improve the quality of life for children.
Cerebral palsy affects every person differently. It can be mild with no impact on a child's ability function, or it can be extremely severe and cause physical impairments throughout the body. The symptoms could include a head that is floppy (floppy neck), muscles that are stiff or uncontrolled as well as difficulty walking or having difficulties with speech and other functions. If cerebral palsy only affects the child's body, it is known as hemiplegia. If it affects both sides, then it is called diplegia. The severity of CP could result in a locked-in (spastic) condition that is characterized by muscle spasticity. This can limit a person's movement and create difficulties with speech and eating.
The occurrence of medical errors during childbirth is a common cause of CP. Midwives, doctors, and nurses should be cautious when delivering babies because brain damage may have serious consequences. If a medical error causes oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that causes cerebral palsy, the physician may be held liable for negligence. This includes negligence when scheduling or performing a C section urgently or failing to supervise and escalate an arduous labor.
Symptoms
If your child is suffering from cerebral palsy, they will most likely display a variety of physical signs. These symptoms may include stiff or tight muscles and a limp, involuntary movements, as well as issues with posture and balance. Other issues could include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and hearing and vision issues.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's maturation. This occurs most often during infancy or the early years of childhood. A delay in reaching milestones such as sitting up, crawling, or walking is a typical symptom of CP. Children with CP may also have trouble swallowing and may require a feeding device.
Numerous factors can contribute to the development of a brain injury that leads to CP and other conditions, such as toxoplasmosis, rubella or cytomegalovirus in the womb and high blood pressure in pregnancy and genetic predisposition. Asphyxia (a severe deficiency of oxygen) during labor or birth is a leading cause of CP.
Based on the type of cerebral palsy, the symptoms may 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 (also called choreoathetoid, or athetoid) involves uncontrolled and slow writhing movements of the legs, arms and the body. Other types of CP include ataxic cerebral palsy (which is characterized by a shakey movement) or paraplegic CP that affects the legs and arms are affected.
Treatment
While the specific symptoms of cerebral palsy differ, the majority of sufferers of the condition have to contend with stiffness and loss of muscle control. They may also be struggling with balance and coordination. The kind of problems they suffer from depend on the region of the brain which was injured and the extent of the injury.
Many people suffering from CP need specialized physical therapy to improve their mobility, muscle tone, and stretch their joints and muscles. cerebral palsy law firm gastonia can also ease the pain and prevent contracture. Braces, exercises, or other treatments may be incorporated.
CP is characterised by musculoskeletal conditions that include hip dysplasia and patella alta. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis also occur. These conditions can cause major mobility problems that reduce the lifespan.
Other treatments can include speech and language therapies for children who cannot communicate effectively. This may help children learn new ways of communicating. These could include signing language, a communication board or voice synthesizers.
These medications can be used to decrease abnormal movements, decrease pain, and prevent seizures. The medications are administered 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 could receive compensation to pay for your child's medical equipment, specialist care and treatment. This will be determined by the psychological and physical impacts that your child's condition has had on them, as well as the costs and losses that you've incurred. These could include loss of earnings due to having stop work to care for your child, home adaptions and transportation costs to transport your child to and from appointments.
Depending on the degree of the injury to your child, your lawyer may hire a specialist in disability care to develop a "lifecare plan' that defines their needs from the date of their diagnosis until adulthood. This can help you calculate an accurate amount of compensation. This usually is in the form of lump sums and regular annual payments, which can be adjusted to reflect the rate of inflation.
It is important to know that the compensation resulting from a successful legal action isn't a gimmick. It's an acknowledgement of the injustice that occurred due to the fact that the medical professional failed to provide the care they were supposed to during labour, pregnancy, and the delivery.