Cerebral palsy is the term used to describe a grouping of several chronic conditions that affect muscle coordination and movement of one’s body. The cause of the condition stems from damage or malformation to the brain in one or more precise sections, typically happening during development of the fetus, or during infancy. It can also occur before, during, or following birth. The name derives from cerebral referring to brain, and palsy to a developmental disorder affecting posture and/or movement. When someone’s is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, it indicates that the brain has suffered an injury which has affected their ability to properly use and coordinate their muscles.
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Children with cerebral palsy may not be able to walk, talk, eat, or play in the same ways as most other children. Cerebral palsy is neither progressive nor communicable. Children who have cerebral palsy will have it all their lives. Today in the United States, cerebral palsy is more commonplace than any similar developmental disability, such as autism, Down’s syndrome, or epilepsy. Nearly two children out of every thousand born in this country have some type of cerebral palsy. Studies have shown that approximately 5,000 infants and toddlers and 1,200 to 1,500 preschoolers are diagnosed with cerebral palsy each year. Kids with mild cases of cerebral palsy sometimes are able to recuperate by the time they are of age to start attending school. In the majority of situations, a child’s ability to learn or perform daily activities is affected throughout the duration of their life due to symptoms associated with CP.
The most common type of cerebral palsy is spastic CP. It affects about 8 out of 10 children with cerebral palsy and is characterized by limited movement as a result of one or more unusually tight muscle groups. This causes those afflicted with spastic cerebral palsy to have generally jerky or stiff movements. They often have a hard time moving from one position to another. They may also have a hard time holding and letting go of objects. When a child suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, it is a result of the section of their brain responsible for moving voluntarily being damaged.
Children with a rare form of the condition known as ataxic cerebral palsy have low muscle tone and poor coordination of movements, which in turn can affect their depth perception and balance. Those suffering from this specific form of cerebral palsy tend to have issues with coordination and walk shakily with their feet farther apart than normal, which gives them an unusually wide gait. About 10 percent of children with cerebral palsy have the athetoid cerebral palsy, which is caused damage to the basal ganglia or cerebellum.
The cerebellum and basal ganglia normally process the signals that enable unrestricted, well-coordinated movements and body posture. Individuals suffering from cerebral palsy can be bothered by muscle tightness or spasm, disturbance in gait and mobility, abnormal perception and sensation, movement done involuntarily, impairment of sight, hearing or speech, and seizures.
Medical mistakes during delivery cause thousands of cerebral palsy case each year. The following are just a few of the mistakes made during delivery that have caused children to be born with cerebral palsy: a restriction of oxygen to the child’s brain as a result of too much time spent in the birth canal, an inability to diagnose and remedy seizures after the birth, not noticing that a prolapsed umbilical cord has wrapped around the neck and deprived the child’s brain of sufficient oxygen, vacuum extraction used to an improper amount, forceps being used incorrectly, not implementing a cesarean section procedure after noticing fetal distress, failure to adapt to a change in the heart rate, no plan put in place to perform a C-section, not responding to altered circumstances in the mother, like toxemia, and an inability to diagnose and/or treat jaundice or meningitis in a timely manner.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cerebral Palsy Malpractice
What Causes Cerebral Palsy in Infants?
Cerebral palsy is a serious condition that is brought about when a child’s brain suffers damage during development before, during, or even after birth. This damage or malformation leads to issues with the child’s muscle control and coordination, reflexes, muscle tone, balance, and posture.
Is Mild Cerebral Palsy Curable?
No, unfortunately cerebral palsy can’t be treated or cured. However, therapy and other interventions can help children with CP develop to their potential and improve their movement as well as other skills in areas of life that might be effected like hearing, socializing, speech, and learning.
What is a Mild Form of Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy can manifest itself in certain degrees of severity. A mild case of cerebral palsy would be when a child has very limited problems with their muscle control. In the mildest cases, children would be able to move their body without any assistance at all and their physical activities would be only slightly hampered, if at all.
Can a Child Outgrow Mild Cerebral Palsy?
Yes. If a baby is diagnosed with a mild case of cerebral palsy, it is entirely possible that all symptoms of it will go away with age. In fact, roughly half of all children diagnosed with a mild case of cerebral palsy outgrow it in time.
What Are the Limitations of Living with Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy has often life-long symptoms that make it impossible for a person to go through life without assistance. The severity of the symptoms can change from case-to-case, but they can include issues with mobility, communication, sleeping, eating and drinking, saliva control, vision and/or hearing impairment, intellectual disability and learning difficulties, epilepsy, spinal and hip abnormalities, bladder/bowel control, as well as pain stemming from many of these issues.
What is the Life Expectancy of a Person with Cerebral Palsy?
Life expectancy of someone with cerebral palsy is varied and often depends on how severe the condition is. Someone diagnosed with cerebral palsy can generally be expected to live somewhere between 30 and 70 years.
Does Cerebral Palsy Worsen With Age?
In general, no it does not. Some children diagnosed with mild cases can even outgrow the symptoms completely. However, this is not the case for all situations and symptoms can remain unchanged throughout the duration of their life.
What is the Cause of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy in Infants?
Athetoid cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the infant’s brain before, during, or right after birth, specifically, damage done to the basal ganglia and cerebellum regions of the brain. The basal ganglia is responsible for the coordination of voluntary movement and the cerebellum control precision movements, such as balance and motor skills.
What Are Signs of Cerebral Palsy in Babies?
When diagnosing babies for cerebral palsy, signs and symptoms to watch for include a child’s inability to lift their head by a certain age, underdeveloped muscle tone in the limbs, stiffness of joints or muscles, uncoordinated movements, failure to meet milestones like crawling or walking at the same rate as other children, inability to control drooling, a lack of balance, tremors, difficulty developing motor skills like writing, and trouble controlling speech muscles.
What Symptoms Are Present in a Child With Dystonia Type Athetoid Cerebral Palsy?
There are several forms of cerebral palsy that can present themselves in children. One such form is dystonia type athetoid cerebral palsy. In this form of the condition, the child’s uncoordinated movements would be viewed as a slow and rotational movement of the arms, legs, or torso.
Legal Help for Victims Affected By Cerebral Palsy Malpractice
If you or a loved had birth complications and your child suffers from Cerebral Palsy, please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified malpractice attorney or call us at 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529).
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