Maryland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer | Brain Damage

There are many different ways the brain may sustain the type of injury that causes Cerebral Palsy. A lack of oxygen to the brain at any time before, during, or after the birth or early childhood years, a viral infection that the mother may suffer while pregnant, malnutrition of the mother, or trauma to the infant’s head all have the potential to cause Cerebral Palsy.

A child with cerebral palsy will typically show symptoms during the first few years of the child's life. The term cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that describes a range of disorders.

Acquired Cerebral Palsy

Acquired cerebral palsy is where the disorder appears after the birth process. As described above brain injury or specifically lack of oxygen to the brain. This does not mean that medical malpractice has taken place, however if your child has cerebral palsy you may want to speak to a lawyer to find out your options and protect your rights. Our Maryland cerebral palsy lawyers have access to the best medical experts in Maryland. These medical experts will look over your case and investigate your unique situation to find out of there was a breech in the standard level of care. Remember if it is proven that medical malpractice was responsible for your child's disorder you maybe entitled to significant financial compensation for your child. Speak to our Maryland cerebral palsy lawyers today.

Congenital Cerebral Palsy

Congenital cerebral palsy is much more common than acquired cerebral palsy. Meaning simply that most cerebral palsy cases are acquired during the birthing process. If a doctor fails to properly treat jaundice or an infection, they may leave the child more at risk for cerebral palsy. The child's brain begins to develop while in the mothers womb, it will continue to grow and develop until about the age of 20. The birth process is an extremely complicated process for the child and the mother. It is during this process that many things can go wrong and affect the child and mother for the rest of their life. So what is more common? Statistics show that the majority of cerebral palsy cases develop actually before the child is born. This can be the result of an infection in the mother that affects the unborn child.

Improper medical care during and shortly after birth can also cause medical malpractice. If you think your child's cerebral palsy has been caused by medical malpractice - speak to our Maryland medical malpractice lawyers today. Free case evaluation available - 24 hours a day - 7 days a week.

Typically cerebral palsy patients have brain damage in the area that deals with muscle control. This means they may have too much muscle tone, not enough, or both. The affected area where this happens is the result of where the brain damage has occurred. To better understand, lets go over the different types of cerebral palsy.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Spastic Cerebral Palsy typically causes stiff movement and is the most common form of cerebral palsy. Studies show that approximately 80% of all cerebral palsy cases are spastic cerebral palsy. Children that have spastic cerebral palsy typically have tightened muscle groups that cause stiff movement in those affected areas. Often times they may be able to easily walk or crawl. Typically parents will notice these symptoms when the child is about two years hold. It is around this time frame the child will shown these symptoms. Physical therapy can help the child with muscle pains and may help them move around and hold objects. Physical therapy can also help with flexibility, strength, mobility and function. Physical therapy can be done at a hospital or doctors office but with the best care it can be done right in home. This is where having the best treatment options available can help improve the quality of life for cerebral palsy patients.

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy is less common than spastic cerebral palsy, affecting less than 10% of all cerebral palsy patients. In athetoid cerebral palsy cases the brain is injured in the cerebellum area. The cerebellum is responsible for processing signals that allow movements and posture. Damage to the cerebellum may cause the child to have jerky movements or spasm-like movements. These involuntary movements may disrupt speech, eating and other common tasks. Athetoid cerebral palsy may also disrupt sleep due to involuntary movements.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

The most rarest form of cerebral palsy is Ataxic cerebral palsy. Ataxic cerebral palsy is described as low muscle tone and/or poor coordination. Children that have this form of cerebral palsy may have a imbalanced form of depth perception. They may also have shakes or tremors that may slow down daily activities. This type of cerebral palsy can also affect walking and other forms of movements.

Medical Mistakes & Brain Damage

Every year mistakes are made before and after the birth process. These 'mistakes' can also be described as negligence on the behalf of the medical staff. Some of these mistakes can be small and minor and may not cause any serious effects on the child or mother. However there are some mistakes that may cause permanent damage to the child. One of the most life changing damages would be brain damage. These types of mistakes can be very difficult to prove. Hospitals will typically have a very large legal team working on their side and will typically fight your claim. You need someone on your side to fight on your behalf. Treatments and therapy for cerebral palsy can be very expensive and time consuming. A successful case could win you lifetime benefits for your child to help give them a better quality of life.

Who is responsible for brain damage during birth?

This is a very common question when a child suffers brain damage, 'why?'. Why did this happen? Was it an accident? Was it malpractice? Did someone make a mistake that could have been avoided? Not all cases of cerebral palsy are caused by malpractice and even with the best levels of care it is possible. At the same time there are some cases when the effects could have been drastically reduced if the medical staff had acted faster or taken another action. In some cases the condition could have been totally avoided. So who knows for sure? Only a medical malpractice lawyer and a qualified medical expert can be sure. A medical expert will view the reports on the prenatal care, the delivery of the child and the aftercare to find out what exactly happened. Contacting an attorney is extremely important, especially one that is familiar with medical malpractice cases. Our attorneys handle cerebral palsy cases throughout Maryland and have a history of winning substantial settlements for our clients. The compensation we win will help improve the quality of life for the family, parents and child suffering from cerebral palsy.

See also:

Medical Malpractice - Cerebral Palsy
Read about traumatic brain injury from auto accidents in our Personal Injury page
Cerebral Palsy & brain damage blog post on marylandaccidentlaw.com

Maryland Medical Malpractice Lawyer - Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyer - Maryland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

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