How to Make a Successful Cerebral Palsy Claim
A diagnosis of cerebral paralysis has a profound impact on the child's life and the lives of their families. Compensation can help them live a full and fulfilling life, with access to equipment, treatment and assistance.
Many cases of cerebral palsy result from medical negligence. cerebral palsy attorney aurora can be caused by an absence of medical attention prior to pregnancy, problems during labor and delivery, or other occurrences.
Causes
Early diagnosis and treatment for CP can enhance a child's abilities. Doctors can diagnose CP by looking at a child's muscle tone and coordination. They may refer children to specialists like neurologists, pediatric orthopedists, and physiatrists who can help manage symptoms and improve life-quality.
Everyone suffers from cerebral palsy differently. It can be mild and have little impact on a child's abilities but it can also be severe and cause impairments across every body part. The symptoms can include a floppy head (floppy neck) as well as a muscles that are stiff and uncontrolled and walking difficulties, or difficulties with speech and other functions. If a child only has cerebral palsy on one side of the body, it's referred to as hemiplegia. If it occurs on both sides, it's called diplegia. Severe CP can cause a locked-in (spastic) condition, characterized by muscle spasticity. This may limit the ability of a person to move and can cause difficulty with speech and eating.
The occurrence of medical errors during childbirth is a common cause of CP. Midwives, doctors, and nurses should be extra cautious when giving birth to babies as brain damage could have serious consequences. If a medical error results in oxygen deprivation or other brain damage that leads to cerebral palsy, the physician may be held liable for negligence. This includes negligence when scheduling or performing a C-section urgently or failing to monitor and escalate the intensity of labor.
Signs and symptoms
If your child has cerebral palsy, he or she will likely have a combination of physical symptoms. They could be characterized by tight or stiff joints as well as a limp, uncontrolled movement and problems with balance and posture. Other issues could include speech delays, intellectual disabilities and hearing and vision problems.
The symptoms of cerebral palsy result from damage to the brain's immature state. This is usually the case during infancy or the early years of childhood. A delay in achieving milestones such as standing up, crawling or walking is a common sign of CP. Children with CP are also more likely to experience difficulties swallowing and may require feeding tubes.
Many factors can contribute to a brain injury causing CP. This includes diseases like toxoplasmosis, or rubella in the womb, high blood pressure during pregnancy and genetic predisposition. A serious lack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) during pregnancy or birth is a major reason for CP as is bleeding in the brain due to damaged or blocked blood vessels.
Depending on the form of cerebral palsy, the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. The most commonly encountered kind of cerebral palsy is spastic cerebral palsy, which is defined by stiff muscles. Dyskinetic cerebral Palsy (also known as athetoid choreoathetoid and choreoathetoid) is characterized by uncontrolled and slow writhing of the arms, legs and the body. Other types of CP include ataxic cerebral palsy (which is characterized by a shaky motion) or paraplegic CP, where the arms and legs are affected.
Treatment
Though the symptoms of cerebral palsy can differ, the majority of people suffering from the condition experience stiffness and loss in muscle control. They may also have issues with coordination and balance. The type of problems they experience will depend on the area of the brain that was injured and the severity.
Many people suffering from CP require special physical therapy that can improve their mobility, flexibility, and muscle tone and stretch their joints and muscles. It can also help relieve pain and prevent contractures. It could include exercises, special braces or other treatments.
CP is defined by musculoskeletal problems such as hip dysplasia and patella alta. Scoliosis and cervical stenosis also occur. These can cause major issues in mobility, reducing the lifespan of a patient.
Other treatments include speech and language therapies for children who are unable to communicate effectively. This can help them to discover new ways to communicate and could involve signing language, communication boards or voice synthesizers.
They can relax stiff or overactive muscles and reduce abnormal movement. They also reduce pain and seizures. The medication is taken by mouth or injected into affected muscles or into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord.
Compensation
If your cerebral palsy case is successful, you will receive compensation to cover the cost of special care, equipment, and treatment. The amount of compensation will be based on the mental and physical effects of your child's illness as well as any losses or expenses you may have incurred. This could include the loss of earnings because you have had stop work 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 injuries to your child. The specialist will create an "life care plan" that outlines their needs starting at the time of diagnosis until they reach the age of adulthood. This will allow you to calculate the most accurate amount of compensation. It typically is in the form of a lump sum and regular annual payments that are adjusted to keep pace with inflation.
It is important to be aware that a payout from a legal action isn't a gimmick. It's a recognition of the fact that injustice has occurred, and all due to medical professionals didn't fulfill their duty of medical care during pregnancy, labour and delivery.