Cerebral Palsy Injury Lawyer

Attorney Michael Grossman Discusses the Signs, Symptoms, and Legal Recourse of Cerebral Palsy Victims

Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of conditions affecting the neurological and muscular systems of the body. Cerebral palsy itself is not a specific birth injury, but is instead the result of brain injury occurring during fetal development through the time a child is about two years old.

This brain injury occurs in or to a very specific area of the brain and affects muscle coordination, neurological signals, body movement, and posture in varying degrees of severity. Signs of cerebral palsy typically occur within months of the initial injury, but may not be noticed and diagnosed until the child is one or two years old. And though the condition is treatable with a variety of therapies, it is not curable. Cerebral palsy will require a lifetime of care, therapy, and accommodation, often with a significant price tag.

Types of Cerebral Palsy

There are four major types of cerebral palsy, classified by the area of the brain injured:

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy
  Spastic cerebral palsy is characterized by stiff, spasm-like movements of muscles and the body, with varying degrees of severity, and is associated with injury to motor cortex area of the brain. This type of cerebral palsy is the most commonly diagnosed type, comprising about 70% of all cerebral palsy (CP) cases. Spastic CP cases have very tight, non-flexible muscles and children move abnormally due to tight musculature. Spastic cerebral palsy is further broken down by the affected areas of the body: if only one side of the body is affected by tight, spasm-like movements, this is known as spastic hemiplegia, a form of spastic CP. This type of CP results from brain and nerve damage for only one side of the body, and those with spastic hemiplegia often are the best able to walk of all types of spastic cerebral palsy.
  
  If the lower half of the body is affected, this is known as spastic diplegia, and is the most common form of spastic cerebral palsy. This type of cerebral palsy often exhibits itself in the form of a “scissor walk” and walking on the toes, due tot he hypertightness of the leg and abdominal muscles. Upper body muscles in the arms and chest are unaffected, though nearsightedness is commonly an issue.
  
  If all quadrants of the body are affected (upper and lower, both sides), this is known as spastic quadriplegia, and is the most severe form of spastic cerebral palsy. Children are often unable to walk or move due to extreme inflexibility through the entire muscular system of the body. Partial or full body tremors may also be present in cases of spastic quadriplegia.
  
  
• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
  Ataxic cerebral palsy is a less common form of cerebral palsy, characterized by a lack of fine motor skills (writing, using scissors, typing) and and lack of balance. These cases comprise about 10% of all children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Damage or injury occurs to the cerebellum causing weakened muscles throughout the body. As with other forms of cerebral palsy, ataxic CP is associated with partial or full body tremors when attempting voluntary movements. Parents often notice something amiss when their child is delayed in movement milestones, unable to stand on their own, or when a child takes an unusually wide stance in order to balance themselves while standing. Other signs include slurred speech or oscillating volume of speech, unequal steps while walking (similar to an intoxicated person), and a lack of visual depth perception.
  
  
• Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy
  Dyskinetic cerebral palsy, also known as athetoid cerebral palsy, is characterized by a lack of control of bodily movements. This form of cerebral palsy is diagnosed in about 20% of cerebral palsy cases. Parents often see what they believe are developmental delays in infant children: an inability to hold himself up, an inability to hold onto an object, and involuntary movements are major signs of athetoid cerebral palsy. More often than not, this form of cerebral palsy is associated with birth injury as a result of medical malpractice either due to injury to the extrapyramidal region of the brain or due to untreated bilirubin levels in the blood of a newborn. This type of cerebral palsy often requires the most care, accommodation and therapy.
  
  
• Mixed Cerebral Palsy
  Mixed cerebral palsy is rare, but results from injury to multiple areas of the brain, causing two or more forms of cerebral palsy to appear.
  
  
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  Though a child’s brain injury may be due to a number of factors, it is worth reviewing all records and experiences throughout the pregnancy, labor, delivery, and birth of the child to determine whether the child’s cerebral palsy was preventable. About a third of cerebral palsy cases are the direct result of a medical professional’s mistake or outright negligence, often causing heartache and financial strain for a family caring for a CP child. An independent medical expert should review your medical records and records of the child for evidence of mistake or negligence - at minimum, a family deserves answers as to the cause of any brain injury and resulting life-long conditions. Call Grossman Law Offices at 1-855-326-0000 (toll free) for more information and to speak with our experienced birth injury legal team confidentially about your family’s situation. A cerebral palsy diagnosis requires a lifetime of accommodation, treatment, and therapy for both the affected child and the rest of the family. Call us now to discuss your options for your child and your family.