If you believe a doctor caused a birth injury such as cerebral palsy, contact birth injury lawyer Tom Robenalt today for a free consultation. Your child may be entitled to compensation, but Ohio limits the amount of time that you can file a medical malpractice claim, so it’s important to have someone review the evidence and start building a case on your behalf right away.

What Is Cerebral Palsy?

As the Cerebral Palsy Alliance has stated, “Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.”

According to one study, it’s the most common severe physical disability among children.

Cerebral Palsy Symptoms

The Mayo Clinic has said that symptoms can vary from one child to another. Indicators include:

• Rigid or floppy muscles
• Spasticity, which WebMD defined as “a muscle control disorder that is characterized by tight or stiff muscles and an inability to control those muscles”
• Rigidity, or hypertonia, which Disabled World defined as “an abnormal increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch”
• Ataxia, or lack of muscle control
• Tremors or involuntary movements
• Athetosis, which occurs when abnormal muscle contractions cause involuntary writhing movements. It may impair speech and hand movement
• Trouble with motor skill development, such as sitting upright or crawling
• Favoring one side of the body, such as always reaching for objects with the right hand
• Problems with walking
• Drooling or problems with swallowing
• Difficulty with sucking or eating
• Speech development delays

People with cerebral palsy may also have:

• Vision and hearing problems
• Intellectual disabilities
• Seizures

In one study, per the CDC, 41 percent of children with cerebral palsy had co-occurring epilepsy.

Cerebral Palsy Causes

According to WebMD, a brain injury or a complication during pregnancy, delivery, or while the child is a toddler can cause cerebral palsy, or CP. Examples of pregnancy complications include a serious infection such as meningitis, certain genetic conditions, premature birth, and blood or oxygen deprivation prior to or during birth. Such oxygen disruption, called birth hypoxia, accounts for less than 10 percent of CP cases, according to one study.

Cerebral palsy can also be caused by a severe head injury.

Your Child May Be Entitled to Compensation

If your child developed cerebral palsy, developmental and cognitive delays or an anoxic brain injury as a result of medical malpractice, he or she may be entitled to compensation for past and future medical bills, rehabilitation expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. Early in his career, attorney Tom Robenalt worked for a firm that defended insurance companies, doctors, and hospitals against claims. For the past 25 years he has used that experience for the benefit of the families of children injured in birth injury cases. That experience can help you during settlement negotiations or trial. For a free consultation, call the birth injury lawyer at Robenalt Law at 216-223-7535, email trobenalt@robenaltlaw.com, or use our online form today.