Cerebral palsy is a damaging and difficult condition many children face after medical malpractice. It limits the brain’s ability to work properly or a child’s ability to control their own muscle movements. This condition is typically caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain during childbirth. Too often, this is because a negligent doctor or other medical staff made a mistake.
Cerebral palsy is one of the most common birth injuries children face. It is a permanent condition, forever affecting the child’s life and that of their entire family.
What Is Cerebral Palsy?
Of the many birth injuries that can affect a child, cerebral palsy is one of the most common and most serious. The word “cerebral” refers to the child’s brain or intellectual abilities. “Palsy” refers to a child’s limitations, incapacities, or paralysis caused by the condition.
This neurologic disability affects a child’s bodily movement, posture, and muscle tone. It can mean physical incapacities throughout the body or even paralysis. It is typically caused by a lack of oxygen to the child’s brain during childbirth. Lack of oxygen kills brain cells critical to a child’s neurotypical development. Children develop varying degrees of brain damage and suffer a wide range of symptoms as a result. Symptoms vary greatly from child to child, increasing the difficulty families and medical teams face in their long-term treatment.
Unlike some other birth injuries, cerebral palsy is not progressive and will not typically get worse. The damage is done, but the long-term consequences will continue to develop and become more noticeable over time. Parents will see their child suffer from this condition throughout their lifetime or may lose a child in very severe cases.
Four Types of Cerebral Palsy
Four primary types of cerebral palsy may affect a child. They are identified by their area of effect on the body and the type of brain injuries they cause.
1. Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy
This form of cerebral palsy causes the muscles to switch from overly loose to overly stiff whenever the child attempts to move. It leads to sudden, involuntary movements that may be either slow or quick. This condition usually affects both the legs and arms.
In severe cases, the child’s mouth and face are also impaired. This may cause issues with speaking, communicating with facial expressions, or swallowing food and water. Signs of dyskinetic cerebral palsy include:
- Dystonia: Repeating and twisting movements that are often quite painful
- Chorea: Abrupt and irregular bodily movements
- Athetosis: Slow and writhing movements
2. Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Spastic cerebral palsy accounts for nearly 80% of all cases of the disorder. It causes incredibly painful and debilitating muscle stiffness in the body. It can make it difficult or impossible for the child to control their body. Cases are typically categorized in three ways:
- Hemiplegia: The spastic cerebral palsy affects one side of the body, either left or right
- Diplegia: The child suffers stiffening muscles in the lower body and legs only
- Quadriplegia: The cerebral palsy affects the child’s entire body
3. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Children with ataxic cerebral palsy suffer from a lack of coordination and balance. This is due to interruptions of critical messages from the brain. These children often appear clumsy, struggle with fine motor skills, or even have trouble walking.
Children with this form of cerebral palsy vary widely in the severity of their condition. Some have minor limitations that are more easily accommodated, while others have crippling disabilities they must account for their entire lives.
4. Mixed Cerebral Palsy
Children may also suffer mixed cases of each of the other three categories. Mixed cerebral palsy cases are common and further complicate a child’s life and treatment.
Signs and Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is often diagnosed after birth, as the signs may not be immediately apparent. This means that many families do not even know their child was hurt until months or years after childbirth. Common symptoms of cerebral palsy include:
Child Under Six Months:
- Feels floppy when picked up
- Abnormal stretching or arching of the neck and back
- Sudden movements and contractions
- Seizures
- Feels overly stiff
- Not able to control or lift head
Six to Ten Months:
- Cannot roll over without assistance
- Fails to meet developmental milestones
- Hearing, speech, and vision problems
- Cannot bring hands to mouth
- Involuntary movements
- Only uses one side of the body
Ten Months and Older:
- Drags their buttocks or hops on their knees
- Slow development
- Excessive drooling
- Lack of fine motor skills or limited range of motion
- Drags on one side while crawling
Causes of Cerebral Palsy and Birth Injuries
Cerebral palsy can occur for several reasons. Most cases are congenital, meaning they occurred before birth. Medical negligence during a woman’s pregnancy can lead to severe harm, just as it can during childbirth. In either time frame, the factors leading to cerebral palsy are considered birth injuries and may entitle the child and family to compensation.
Birth injuries that may cause cerebral palsy include:
- Head trauma: Traumatic brain injuries during birth are devastating. Head trauma can occur from improper forceps use, dropping the baby, or pulling too hard on the child. This trauma can directly lead to brain damage or limit oxygen to the brain during the traumatizing event.
- C-section delays: Many doctors fail to order a C-section quickly enough when the mother is in distress. Delivery doctors should constantly monitor the mother and baby’s health during labor to determine whether a C-section is appropriate and act promptly when necessary.
- Premature birth: Premature babies are much more likely to suffer a lack of oxygen and cerebral palsy. Some premature births are due to medical negligence, while other situations are unavoidable despite best efforts.
- Oxygen deprivation: The most common cause of cerebral palsy birth injuries is lack of oxygen. An umbilical cord may become wrapped around a child’s neck. Labor may take too long, and the child cannot get critical oxygen to the brain. Brain damage can happen in a matter of minutes, with countless brain cells dying for each second a child is without oxygen.
- Maternal infections: Infections during pregnancy, delivery, and labor may all cause cerebral palsy. Infections such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, and many others may affect a child for years to come.
Birth Injuries Cause Cerebral Palsy
Too many families learn the hard way that medical negligence can hurt their children forever. Birth injuries can lead to cerebral palsy, affecting the child and their family in difficult ways. Families often suffer devastating emotional and financial consequences all because of a doctor’s negligence. An experienced birth injury attorney is prepared to help.
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