Cerebral Palsy : The Path To Recovery

Cerebral Palsy Attorneys in Michigan Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders that affect an individual’s ability to move and maintain balance or posture, as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It affects 1 out of 323 children in the world, making it the most common childhood motor disability. Also, it is more common among boys than girls, with more incidence among black children than Caucasian ones.  If a health professional fails to maintain a standard of care, they can help liable for the birth injury and be responsible for financial compensation.  Since this is a life-long condition and usually requires surgery and constant medical treatment, the medical expenses can put a heavy financial burden on any family.  If this was caused by the negligence of the doctor or hospital staff, you may be entitled to reimbursement of medical bills and more.

What Are Other Cerebral Palsy Signs and Symptoms To Look For?

While Cerebral Palsy does not usually worsen over time, still, there are physiological effects that the child and even his family will have to deal in the long run. Children with Cerebral Palsy will have lifetime body movement impairments, which may greatly limit their movements. This may eventually result in muscle rigidity and shortening due to disuse that may progress and become worse if not managed.

Moreover, some patients were reported to have:

  • Seizures;
  • Urinary incontinence;
  • Intellectual disabilities;
  • Impaired or abnormal sensory perceptions, particularly those related to touch and pain;
  • Vision and hearing difficulty; and
  • Other mental health conditions

Incidentally, other children were found to have difficulty in or impaired swallowing and poor eye muscle strength and balance.

What Causes Cerebral Palsy in Children?

Cerebral Palsy is caused by anything that disrupts or hampers a child’s brain development. Specifically, this disorder may be due to the following:

  • gene mutations that affect brain development;
  • maternal infections; and
  • infant infections causing brain inflammation

Lack of oxygen supply in the brain is another known cause of Cerebral Palsy. This happens when an infant’s or child’s blood supply to his brain is cut-off, which commonly occurs during the birth process. Although a few studies suggest that this accounts for only a small fraction of Cerebral Palsy among neonates, infants, and children, the fact remains that this is still an identified cause of Cerebral Palsy among children. Hence, parents and health care practitioners should never be complacent.

Is There a Cure for Cerebral Palsy?

 Once a child is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, he or she is going to deal with this disorder for the rest of his or her life. Sure, there are various treatment modalities, including medications and therapies available to manage this disorder. However, they are merely for improving the child’s muscle strength and range of movements, as well as supporting his or her well-being allowing him to cope with it for life.

May Physicians and Other Health Care Providers be Held Liable in Cerebral Palsy Cases?

Yes. They may be held liable to compensate the child and the child’s family for Cerebral Palsy. However, there are certain requisites to be met first before one may have a case against your obstetrician-physician or health care provider:

  1. Standard of Care – Standard of care is defined as the degree of care that a reasonably competent and skilled medical or health care professional, with a similar background and in the same medical community, would have provided under the circumstances that led to the alleged malpractice. When he or she deviates from what is “reasonable” and “ordinary” under the circumstances, the standard of care is breached resulting in medical negligence or malpractice.
  2. Causation – Next, you have to establish the relationship between your medical or health care provider’s lack or violation of the standard of care and the occurrence of Cerebral Palsy. Was there negligence on his or her part? If so, was this the cause why Cerebral Palsy in your child developed? These are the ultimate questions that must be answered.
  3. Doctor-Patient Relationship. – Is the doctor or health personnel complained of really your child’s medical provider in the first place? Just like causation, this relationship should likewise be established in order to sustain a valid claim.

How The Clark Law Office Help You

If you think your child’s Cerebral Palsy is a result of your medical provider’s negligence or malpractice, it is imperative that you discuss and take steps with cerebral palsy or birth injury attorney. The Clark Law Office has a team of competent yet emphatic Michigan birth injury lawyers who can help you collate all the documents and other pieces of evidence to make out a case against your erring health provider.  To learn more on how they can help you get through your current situation, feel free to contact them for a completely free and confidential consultation at (517) 347-6900.  No fee unless you win your birth injury case!

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