Spastic Cerebral Palsy

What Is Spastic Cerebral Palsy?

According to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, cerebral palsy is a condition in which a child’s posture and movement is compromised because of brain damage.  In a child with cerebral palsy, the brain is unable to influence the amount of flexibility in the muscle. When the muscles are too tense, the child is said to have spastic cerebral palsy.

Seventy to eighty percent of cerebral palsy cases will have spasticity, making spastic cerebral palsy the most common subtype.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Spastic Cerebral Palsy?

Children with spastic cerebral palsy have varying degrees of impairment.  When spasticity is severe, it can become evident in the first year of life.  Milder cases sometimes appear later in development.  If spasticity develops with cerebral palsy, it will not resolve on its own.

Symptoms of spasticity include joint and muscle deformities, inhibited stretching of muscles, limited protein synthesis within muscle cells, limited longitudinal muscle growth, limited movement range. Deformities from spastic cerebral palsy are not usually present at birth. Instead, they develop over time as a result of the muscles’ limitations.

When a child has spastic cerebral palsy, he or she will exhibit jerky or still movements. The child may experience difficulty changing positions, and he or she may also have problems holding and releasing objects.

What Does a Spastic Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Do?

Children often develop cerebral palsy as a result of an injury sustained during delivery.  If your doctor or hospital caused trauma to your child’s brain during the birthing process, you may be entitled to compensation.  If you hire a spastic cerebral palsy lawyer, he or she will review your child’s medical files to determine if medical personnel are responsible for your child’s condition.

If your attorney discovers that the hospital or doctor may be to blame for your child’s spastic cerebral palsy, the lawyer can file a lawsuit on your behalf. After the lawsuit is completed, you may receive compensation for your child’s medical costs.  You may also be entitled to future lost wages, as well as If the condition has affected other aspects of your life, such as your’ child’s self esteem, you may also receive punitive damages.

Find a Spastic Cerebral Palsy Lawyer

You can begin your search for a spastic cerebral palsy lawyer right here on our website.  We provide statistics on injury lawyers, including  medical malpractice lawyers.  Birth injury is a subtype of medical malpractice, and cerebral palsy is a sub-type of birth injury.  Our statistics, because they are generated by the Maryland Judiciary, are only broken down as far as medical malpractice.  To obtain assistance in finding a lawyer with experience in cerebral palsy cases, do not hesitate to contact us.  We know the statistics on the best cerebral palsy lawyers.

Sources:

United Cerebral Palsy

St. Louis Children’s Hospital