Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a common disorder that covers a range of developmental motor disorders. The different types are caused by damage to specific parts of the brain. Although cerebral palsy may develop because of a brain injury during the prenatal period before delivery, sometimes it is a result of medical negligence during the delivery process. For example, if a baby is deprived of oxygen for too long during delivery, and a doctor should have been monitoring more carefully and done a C section, this may lead to cerebral palsy. There are many different types of cerebral palsy. One of these types is spastic cerebral palsy. If you are concerned that your child's cerebral palsy was caused by a birth injury, the knowledgeable Baltimore cerebral palsy lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers may be able to help.

Spastic cerebral palsy makes up 80% of cerebral palsy cases. It is characterized by tightness in at least one muscle group, which results in stiffness and difficulty moving. Often, people with this type of cerebral palsy face difficulties moving from one position into another and find it challenging to hold onto or let go of objects. There may be jerky movements, and simple tasks are rendered very difficult. Sometimes conditions like ADHD or seizures develop alongside spastic cerebral palsy.

Types of spastic cerebral palsy include spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, monoplegia, triplegia, and spastic quadriplegia. With spastic diplegia, the muscle stiffness is mostly in the legs, but it may also affect a child's arms. With spastic hemiplegia, only one side of the body has limited motor development. With monoplegia, only one arm or leg is affected, while with triplegia, either both arms and one leg or both legs and one arm are affected. With spastic quadriplegia, a child's four limbs are all affected, as well as their torso and face. Sometimes, epilepsy that is also a result of a birth injury is experienced.

Parents may not know that their child has spastic cerebral palsy immediately after birth. A child is likely to miss their developmental milestones before being diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy at around 18 months, when most children are able to walk. Each child needs to be evaluated individually for treatment, but generally there are five treatments: physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, medication, and surgery.

Treatment for spastic cerebral palsy may be expensive. One way that parents may be able to pay for this special care to ensure their children's wellbeing is through a birth injury lawsuit. As with other types of medical malpractice claims, with a birth injury lawsuit, you will need to establish that a health care provider's failure to meet the professional standard of care was the cause of your child's cerebral palsy and that you suffered damages as a result.

If your child was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, you may need to bring a lawsuit to make sure that your child can reach their full potential. The lifetime needs for many children diagnosed with cerebral palsy are more than a few million dollars. Forms of compensation that you may be able to recover include past, present, and future economic and noneconomic damages, such as medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and mental anguish. At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our Baltimore cerebral palsy attorneys understand the significant challenges faced by individuals and families dealing with cerebral palsy in Maryland and Washington, D.C. We do not recover any fees or expenses unless we obtain a judgment or settlement for you. Call us at (800) 654-1949 or (410) 654-3600, or contact us online for a free consultation with a birth injury lawyer.