What are the medical treatments for cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy is a condition that arises from a brain injury acquired at an early age, sometimes when a baby suffers a lack of oxygen to the brain known as hypoxia. In some cases, hypoxia happens because of medical negligence during the birthing process, and may result in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
Cerebral palsy can cause a spectrum of motor problems and other symptoms. Many cases require multiple long-term interventions that can quickly become costly.
Some of the symptoms of cerebral palsy can include:
- Muscle stiffness and spasms
- Difficulty swallowing
- Jerky movements
- Difficulty walking
- Difficulty with fine motor skills
- Favoring one side of the body
The brain injury that causes cerebral palsy can also create neurological problems, which can cause epilepsy, deafness or blindness, intellectual impairments or mental illness.
Just as there are many symptoms of cerebral palsy, there is an array of possible treatments.
Physical therapy can help patients increase strength and improve motor skills.
Medications like muscle relaxants, antispasmotic and antiseizure drugs are often used for cerebral palsy.
Surgery to sever nerves can reduce pain and decrease spasticity.
Assistive devices like braces and splints can help stabilize the gait of people with motor problems associated with cerebral palsy.
Patients with cerebral palsy can also benefit from the assistance of special education teachers, neurologists, speech pathologists and other specialists. While the symptoms of cerebral palsy tend not to worsen with time, much of the therapy involved a requires long-term commitment, and can be costly.
If it can be shown that medical negligence caused cerebral palsy in your situation, a medical malpractice lawyer can help you secure the compensation you need to help pay for the ongoing treatments that will be required to help create a better quality of life for your child.