Cerebral palsy can be caused by avoidable injuries that happen during childbirth. When cerebral palsy causes result from birth injuries, it can take years before a child develops symptoms.

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder caused by either a brain injury or a malformation that occurs while a baby’s brain is developing. The condition affects muscle coordination, posture and muscle tone.

Some patients experience stiff arms or legs that contort into painful positions or exhibit flopping limbs. Other patients may have partial or full paralysis.

Facial muscles might be affected. Some patients have trouble swallowing. Others find that cerebral palsy causes the eye muscles to become imbalanced, leading to an inability for both eyes to focus on the same location.

Cerebral palsy sometimes affects only one arm or leg, or it can affect the ability to control all a person’s limbs. When muscles contract uncontrollably, the patient can appear to writhe. Sitting, walking and eating can be difficult when cerebral palsy causes fine motor skills to be affected.

Symptoms vary greatly from one patient to another. Some patients experience diminished intellectual abilities, epilepsy, blindness or deafness.

Extended Complications of Cerebral Palsy

According to the Mayo Clinic website regarding cerebral palsy causes and complications, a number of problems can develop during childhood or into adulthood. Among these are:

1. Malnutrition is possible when cerebral palsy causes swallowing problems or feeding problems and leads to the possibility of impaired growth and weakened bones.
2. Depression and other psychiatric conditions are possible because the patient tires of coping with disabilities and the social isolation that cerebral palsy can cause.
3. Lung disease and breathing problems are seen in patients with cerebral palsy, possibly because the diaphragm is a muscle in the body that can be affected by the disorder.
4. Muscles spasms over time can place pressure on joints or cause joints to abnormally align, leading to osteoarthritis (degenerative bone disease).
5. Lack of mobility, malnutrition, and some medications taken to control epileptic seizures can cause osteopenia (low bone density), which leads to easier fracturing of the bones.

A birth injury lawsuit can allow parents to obtain compensation for your child’s medical expenses, lost wages, lifetime care, pain and suffering, and other unforeseen expenditures. A medical malpractice lawyer can enlist the help of medical experts who can help determine a  child’s cerebral palsy causes.

If you have a disabled child who was injured at birth by negligent health care practitioners, you could benefit from speaking with a medical malpractice attorney who has experience at getting to the root of cerebral palsy causes. Parents have a right to know if something out of the ordinary occurred that led to brain injuries during the birth of a child.