(845) 802-0047What is Athetoid Cerebral Palsy? New York Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Birth InjuryNew York Medical Malpractice Lawyer Explains Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
You have probably heard of cerebral palsy, or CP. This is a brain disorder which is caused by damage to the developing brain that typically causes lesions to certain parts fo the brain. The main part of the brain that is injured is the cerebrum, which is the center part of the brain which regulates motor function and movement—particularly voluntary movement. Symptoms vary depending on the severity of the damage to the brain, which mean how many and how damaging the lesions are on the brain. The more lesions, the more disabling the CP will be. The less lesions, the less disabling the CP will be. While this is true of most CPs, athetoid cerebral palsy can be a little different.
Athetoid cerebral palsy is a subset of CP which is characterized by abnormal and involuntary movement. The damage to the brain with Athetoid cerebral palsy caused by the basal ganglia, in addition to the cerebellum. People exhibiting Athetoid cerebral palsy typically exhibit the following symptoms:
- Loss of balance and coordination;
- Slow and writhing movements which are voluntary;
- Fast movements which are involuntary;
- Some patients have high muscle tone due to extreme rigidity and flexion of muscles due to involuntary processes;
- Issues with flexion of the fingers and toes, including fine motor movement of the fingers; and
- Many other conditions.
Patients who have athetoid cerebral palsy may have these symptoms and conditions on a rather minor scale, or they may have them quite severely which makes basic functions like even laying on a bed extremely difficult. Any degree of cerebral palsy is serious. There could be issues with the birth injury or New York medical malpractice which may be the cause of cerebral palsy that a medical provider may be liable. They should be held liable for these mistakes.
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