CEREBRAL PALSY INFORMATION - MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

In the early part of the nineteenth century cerebral palsy information was non existent until in the 1860’s an English surgeon called William Little first wrote about a disorder which affected children causing stiff muscles in the legs and to a lesser extent in the arms. He noted that they neither improved nor worsened as they got older and for many years the condition was identified as ‘Littles disease’ which subsequently became known as “static encephalopathy” and thereafter as spastic diplegia. Little had realised that the children with this problem were often born prematurely or after a difficult delivery and he suggested that the disorder was caused by oxygen starvation damaging a child’s sensitive brain tissues. In due course Sigmund Freud realised that a lot of the children suffering from Little’s disease also had mental impairment and put forward the proposition that the child’s brain had been damaged at an earlier stage whilst still in the womb.

It was not until the 1980’s that definitive cerebral palsy information was available on the matter following statistical and clinical examination of 35,000 cases which revealed that only 10% was caused either immediately before or during labour and that the remainder were due to naturally occurring phenomena rooted earlier in the pregnancy. In most cases the cause is still unknown notwithstanding substantial ongoing research all over the world.

The main four types of cerebral palsy are Spastic, Athetoid, Ataxic and Mixed. We have included brief details of each for reference below :-

Spastic: The most common form affecting over 70% of patients. Muscles remain in a consistent state of involuntary reaction. Tight muscle groups can cause unpredictable and sudden movements. Patients have difficulty moving from one position to the next, and gripping/releasing objects.

Athetoid: Affects 10%-20% and this is due to damage to the parts of the brain that control smooth and coordinated movement. Posture is often a problem and the face, arms and trunk may be particular areas with lack of coordination. Movements may appear purposeless or involuntary. Speaking and feeding can be difficult as will any movement that needs coordination between different parts of the body such as hand and eye.

Ataxic: Only 5-10% of patients are affected. Poor muscle tone and poor balance with unsteady or shaky movements characterise the condition.

Mixed: A mixture of Spastic and Athetoid with involuntary movements and poor muscle tone.

We offer cerebral palsy information on the causes, treatment, diagnosis and risk factors for this condition. If you believe that your child’s injury may have been caused by medical negligence as a result of a troubled delivery you may be able to make a compensation claim. Legal Aid is available to almost all children without any parental contribution and is assessed on the child’s income and assets and not on the parents’ finances.

If you would like to speak to a specialist solicitor about a cerebral palsy compensation claim free of charge and with no further obligation, just complete and send the contact form or use the helpline or send a message by email. If after talking to us you decide not to take your potential claim further then you are quite at liberty to do so and you will not be charged for our advice which is given free of charge.