Understanding Cerebral Palsy: New York Medical Malpractice Explains

New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Shares Important Facts about Cerebral Palsy

You may have heard about cerebral palsy, or CP, many times before.  But most people do not know what it actually is, or why some people suffering from CP appear normal while other people cannot stand up.  There are many factors to the type and severity of CP, particularly when CP is caused by birth injuries or mistakes resulting in seriously debilitating conditions.  As a New York medical malpractice lawyer, I know it is important to understand what CP is and how it affects a person.

Cerebral palsy is a group of conditions resulting in a disorder.  This disorder affects movement and occurs to the brain while it is still developing.  The damage to the brain is in the part of the brain which governs movements, specifically voluntary movements.  The damage is usually in the form of a lesion, or damage to the brain which does not allow it to properly grow.  This lesion forms almost like a gap or block in the brain tissue which prevents what is supposed to be there from forming.  That is a very rudimentary explanation, but it is important to understand how CP affects the developing brain.

As a result of the damage to the developing brain, a person may have movement, muscle tone, or posture issues.  These could be a lack of movement, muscle tone, or posture, or an overly intense and well-developed muscle tone and posture.  This depends how a person’s brain has been damaged.  Some people have very uncoordinated movement ability or control over their movements, whereas other people have control but have a constant shaking or involuntary movements.  When people have these involuntary and constant movements, one of the major issues is ensuring that they consume enough calories because they are always going to be burning calories from moving.  It also means that they will develop more tense, larger, stronger, and more dense muscles which—while that may sound good to some people—it really limits the range of motion and can make it more difficult for a person to move.  Some areas where the muscle is too big can also affect how a person moves, such as always contracted leg muscles or back muscles which can make even sleeping on a bed painful or impossible.

Unfortunately, many times CP is caused by a doctor who fails to properly treat a mother and newborn during the labor and delivery process.  Hypoxic injuries are the most common, and can result in horrific damage to the parts of the brain which could cause CP.  Doctors and healthcare providers who make this mistakes should be liable for them, shouldn’t they?

But what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  Leave a comment or I also welcome your phone call on my toll-free cell at 1-866-889-6882 or you can drop me an e-mail at jfisher@fishermalpracticelaw.com.  You are always welcome to request my FREE book, The Seven Deadly Mistakes of Malpractice Victims, at the home page of my website at www.protectingpatientrights.com.