San Antonio Cerebral palsy Attorney

San Antonio Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Michael Grossman on the Symptoms and Legal Options for Victims of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is the name given to a variety of conditions that affect the muscular and neurological systems of a person. It is not a specific birth injury, but is the result of a brain injury that can occur during fetal development until a child has turned two years old.

The brain injury happens in or near a specific part of the brain and can affect muscle coordination, body movement, neurological signals, and posture, all in different degrees of severity. Symptoms of cerebral palsy can be seen within months of the initial injury, but may sometimes not appear or be diagnosed until a child has turned one or two. Cerebral palsy is treatable, but it is not curable. As a result, a child suffering from cerebral palsy will require life-long care, accommodation, and therapy. If medical malpractice caused your child’s cerebral palsy, the medical bills, both past and future, and other incurred damages, could be compensated for through a medical malpractice lawsuit. San Antonio cerebral palsy attorney Michael Grossman can assist you in holding a negligent medical professional accountable for their actions.

Four Types of Cerebral Palsy

The four types of cerebral palsy are identified by the area of the brain that has been injured.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy accounts for approximately 70% of all cerebral palsy cases, making it the most commonly diagnosed form of cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy occurs because of an injury to the brains’ motor cortex. As a result, muscle movements can be stiff, spastic, or uncontrollable. Those that suffer from spastic cerebral palsy have tight, non-flexible muscles. Spastic CP is known by other names dependent on the area of the body affected by the injury.

• Spastic diplegia occurs when the lower half of the body, like the legs and abdominal muscles, have been affected by cerebral palsy. Symptoms of spastic diplegia can be seen in a “scissor walk,” where spastic diplegics walk on their toes because of the hyper-tightness of the muscles in their lower body. While their upper body muscles are not affected, nearsightedness can be a common symptom as well. Spastic diplegia is the most common form of spastic cerebral palsy.
• Spastic hemiplegia occurs when only one half of the body is affected by cerebral palsy, and is caused when a brain injury or nerve damage affects only that side of the body. Of those that suffer spastic cerebral palsy, those that have spastic hemiplegia are often the best able to walk.
• Spastic quadriplegia occurs when all parts of the body are affected by cerebral palsy, from both the top and bottom halves of the body, as well as both sides. It is the most severe form of spastic cerebral palsy. Children that suffer from spastic quadriplegia often cannot move or walk because of the inflexibility of their muscles throughout their bodies. Body tremors, either partial or full, can also occur in those with spastic quadriplegia.

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy, also known as Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, accounts for approximately 20% of all CP cases. Dyskinetic CP is characterized by an inability to control body movements. Symptoms that parents see in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy often happen as certain developmental milestones should be crossed, and yet are not, such as a child’s ability to hold herself up, or the ability to hold onto a toy. Furthermore, involuntary movements are a large sign of athetoid cerebral palsy. Often, dyskinetic CP is caused by medical malpractice where the brain’s extra-pyramidal region is injured or there were untreated bilirubin levels in the newborn’s blood. Of the types of CP, dyskinetic cerebral palsy often requires the most therapy, care, and accommodation.

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy accounts for approximately 10% of cerebral palsy cases in children, meaning that it is a less common form of CP. Those with ataxic cerebral palsy lack fine motor skills like writing, typing, or using scissors, as well as a lack of balance. Weakened muscles throughout the body are a result of a brain injury to the cerebellum. Those with ataxic CP can also experience full or partial body tremors when they attempt voluntary movement. Symptoms that parents often notice in children with ataxic CP are missed developmental milestones, such as a child’s inability to stand on their own, or when a child might need to use an abnormally wide stance in order to maintain their balance. Further signs can include varying volumes while speaking, slurred speech, unusual walking patterns (as if the child were drunk), or a lack of depth perception.

Mixed Cerebral Palsy is a rare form of cerebral palsy, but stems from injuries to multiple areas of the brain, resulting in two or more forms of cerebral palsy to occur.

Contact Birth Injury and Medical Malpractice Lawyer Michael Grossman Today

If you believe that your child is suffering from a type of cerebral palsy due to the negligence of a medical professional, contact San Antonio cerebral palsy attorney Michael Grossman to help you seek justice. Furthermore, the compensation that could be awarded to you can go toward past and future medical bills and other incurred expenses that can help you get your child the kind of care they need and deserve. Approximately one-third of cerebral palsy cases are caused by the mistakes or negligence of a medical professional. By contacting us to help you seek necessary compensation, we’ll pore over your medical records regarding your pregnancy, labor, delivery, and birth in order to ascertain if your child’s cerebral palsy was preventable. With connections to competent, highly-knowledge medical experts that can look over your medical records, we can work to get certain questions answered for you so that you can know whether or not medical malpractice resulted in your child’s cerebral palsy. Contact San Antonio cerebral palsy attorney Grossman Law Offices and his team at Grossman Law Offices at 1-855-393-0000 (Toll Free) for a free, private legal consultation. We’ll answer your questions and provide you with your possible legal options. With 20 years of experience in defending our clients’ rights, Grossman Law Offices is ready to come alongside you so that you can stand to seek compensation for your child’s injury in order for you to be able to provide proper, long-lasting health care for your son or daughter.