Cerebral Palsy Caused by Medical Negligence
When delivering a baby, it’s important for doctors and hospital staff to follow proper procedure to ensure a safe delivery. If these standards aren’t met, it can cause birth injuries. One of the more common ones is cerebral palsy. This is a condition your child will endure for a lifetime, and may involve pain and suffering, mounting medical bills, and an impaired quality of life.
If you feel you or a family member has suffered from a birth injury due to medical malpractice at the hands of your labor and delivery doctor or nurse, you may be owed compensation for physical injuries, medical bills, pain and suffering, and other losses. The experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys will fight to get families of cerebral palsy and other birth injury malpractice cases the justice they deserve.
Most Common Types of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is the most common motor function disability in children, according to the CDC. It’s classified as a collection of brain disorders that impact movement, balance and posture, and it impacts about 1 in 323 children. The lack of muscle control is caused by either abnormal brain development, or damage caused in the delivery room. If your child has experienced the latter, you may be entitled to compensation.
Diagnosing cerebral palsy can be hard, as symptoms can vary from child to child. In their lifetimes, some patients may never be able to walk, while others can do so only with special equipment. Then there are others whose condition might only present with minor changes in motor function. Cerebral palsy patients can also commonly experience intellectual disabilities, seizures, and issues with vision, hearing, and speech.
There are a few main different types of cerebral palsy. Depending on which part of the brain has been impacted, your child may experience more than one of these.
- Stiff muscles
- Lack of movement control
- Bad balance & coordination
Spastic: This is the most common type and impacts about 80% of all cerebral palsy patients, according to the CDC. People with this kind of cerebral palsy have stiff muscles due to increased muscle tone. For some, this shows up mainly in the legs, greatly impacting their ability to walk. For others, it’s more severe, affecting a whole side of one’s body (arm and leg) or all four limbs.
Dyskinetic: This means the patient can’t control their movements. Patients with this form of cerebral palsy have muscles that change tone often, even multiple times in a single day. This causes movements and reactions to be anywhere from slow and languid to fast and jerky.
Ataxic: In this form of cerebral palsy, the patient’s balance and coordination is impacted. While they are able to still move around, they will have difficulty with quick or sudden movements.
Mixed Cerebral Palsy: It’s common for a patient to have more than one of the above types of cerebral palsy. The most common combination is spastic-dyskinetic, according to the CDC.
Get Early Screening & Diagnosis
Being a new parent is stressful, and the last news you want to receive is that your child has a disability – especially if it was preventable. It’s important, particularly in the first couple of years, to pay close attention to your child’s development so you can spot any developmental difficulties early, allowing you to provide your child with the proper support as soon as possible.
Cerebral palsy is a group of brain disorders that impact motor skills, so the first signs in your child might include: slow to roll over, use their hands, or only use some limbs while crawling or eating. It’s important to note these issues can also be totally normal in your child’s development. If you see a symptom, schedule an appointment with your doctor to get a proper medical diagnosis. Early screenings and diagnosis can help ensure you’re providing your child with everything they need if they do have cerebral palsy.
A few developmental milestones to watch out for, according to the CDC:
Babies younger than 6 months –
- Stiff or floppy limbs
- Head droops when you pick up
- Legs are stiff or they often cross
- Overextends back when cradled
Baby older than 6 months –
- Doesn’t roll over at all
- Doesn’t bring hands together
- Hard to bring hands to mouth
- Only reaches with one hand while keeping other one fisted
Baby older than 10 months –
- Lopsided crawls
- Doesn’t use all four limbs to crawl
Speak to an Expert Medical Malpractice Attorney
Learning your child suffers from a developmental disability can be hard enough; if you believe that disability was caused by your doctor or medical team, it’s important you get the compensation you deserve.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy that you believe was the result of medical malpractice, an experienced medical malpractice lawyer at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys is ready to speak to you today. We don’t collect a fee unless we win financial compensation for you. Call today at (844) 385-9601 or use our online form to schedule your free consultation. Our list of most Frequently Asked Questions on medical malpractice may also provide additional help and guidance.
