Cerebral Palsy Lawyers

Overview of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is caused by injury to a developing brain, and typically usually occurs during pregnancy, delivery, or childhood. Cerebral palsy affects parts of the brain responsible for coordination, balance, and motor control.

There are a number of incidents that can cause damage to a developing brain, one of which is an infection during pregnancy. As a result of an infection, certain proteins called cytokines can increase. This particular protein can create inflammation, too much of which can lead to brain damage. Symptoms typically appear during infancy or in the child’s preschool years.

Due to such brain damage, messages between the brain and the body can be blocked, causing some or all of the following symptoms:

• Impaired Movement
• Abnormal Reflexes
• Abnormal Posture
• Rigidity or Floppiness of Limbs
• Problems with Walking
• Involuntary Movement
• Muscle Spasm or Tightness
• Seizures
• Speech, Sight, or Hearing Impairment
• Unusual Awareness & Sensation

Cerebral Palsy Attorneys

CP during fetal development, delivery, or shortly after birth could be a result of medical malpractice. It is possible that a simple administrative error could prevent a provider from being aware of a pre-existing medical condition. In some cases, the medical team could have failed to detect fetal distress during delivery. Unfortunately, either of these situations could have led to a birth injury and brain damage to a newborn.

At The Barnes Firm, we have experienced cerebral palsy injury lawyers in our law firm. Our lawyers have helped countless families and their children receive compensation and settlements after filing a medical malpractice claim. Any questions you have about cerebral palsy and a birth injury, or about our legal process, can be answered by calling our law firm of cerebral palsy attorneys.

Types of Cerebral Palsy

Doctors are obligated to inform parents of potential complications during a mother’s pregnancy. Failure to do so can be deemed as medical malpractice. Call your cerebral palsy injury lawyers in California to learn more about malpractice laws and how they affect your rights.

Cerebral palsy is a general term used to categorize four main types of the disorder:

• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy – This condition affects roughly 10% of children and occurs when there is damage to the cerebellum. This particular form of CP has been linked to a number of birthing accidents. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy affects a child’s ability to perform tasks that require motor control, such as writing.
• Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy (Athetoid) – Those suffering from athetoid cerebral palsy experience involuntary movements that consist of jerking of the arms, legs, hands, and feet. More often than not, this type of the disorder tends to affect the upper extremities, which can make eating and speaking a challenge.
• Spastic Cerebral Palsy – Spastic or pyramidal cerebral palsy is the most common form of the disorder. Those with spastic CP are hypertonic with tight, stiff muscles that are unable to relax in certain parts of the body.
• Mixed Type Cerebral Palsy – Those who suffer from more than one of the symptoms listed in the above CP variations have mixed cerebral palsy. Some symptoms may include hypertonic muscles and others hypotonic muscles.