Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a name given to a group of neurological defects that cause lack of body and muscle coordination, due to damage in one or more parts of the brain. These defects can range from mild to severe, and can only be treated symptomatically; there is no cure. According to the Cerebral Palsy Source, an online publication dedicated to the disease, nearly 8,000 infants are diagnosed every year in the United States. All women envision having a happy healthy baby, and while many do, there is an astonishing number that don’t. Many of the causes of cerebral palsy can be completely preventable, which is why there are now a growing number of attorneys that specialize in litigating these types of cases.

When cerebral palsy occurs, nerve cells in the motor control center of the brain are damaged, and when these cells die, the muscles that are controlled by them no longer function properly. Cerebral palsy has many causes and may result by more than one insult to the brain. The infant may be deprived of oxygen during birth, the mother may abuse drugs or alcohol, the obstetrician or midwife may exert too much pressure with the vacuum device, or injure it with forceps during delivery. The mother could have been infected with a bacterium during pregnancy, such as rubella, or she may have endured some type of injury to her body through a fall or an assault, or there could be a blood incompatibility between the developing fetus and the mother. The infant’s brain could be damaged by someone dropping it, or not taking care to make sure the baby was safe. A motor vehicle accident could also be the cause, or the cerebrum may be under developed, all causing the signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy to appear. Now you can see why cerebral palsy is so prevalent, and why there are so many different scenarios that can occur causing damage to the brain, and risking the onset of cerebral palsy.

Symptoms vary greatly because it is clearly dependent on the severity of damage to the brain, and to what area of the cerebrum is most affected. Some children may require only leg or arm braces, others cannot hold themselves in an upright position, and some are completely paralyzed. Uncontrolled drooling and grimacing is also common, and some children cannot speak or swallow and must be fed through a gastrointestinal feeding tube. Seizure disorder is also common in infants and children that suffer from cerebral palsy. There are required to be on various anti-seizure medications and neurologic agents to control these episodes for the rest of their lives. Oxygen may be required to administer in case of deprivation during a seizure, and be very scary for anyone observing, if not trained properly on how to intervene.

There are many foundations and organizations dedicated to educating the population about cerebral palsy, how it occurs, and how it can be prevented. Even with all the medical technology that is available, it cannot be cured, only the symptoms can be treated. There are many children and adults who have to live their lives with this debilitating disease, and in some instances, it could have been totally preventable.