Cerebral palsy, also called Littles disease or static encephalopathy, is a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life. Cerebral palsy was first noticed in children in the first years of their lives back in 1860. An English surgeon named William Little wrote about an unknown disorder that caused stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and their arms. The children with the observed difficulties did not get any better or any worse as they aged. That documented condition was called Littles for many years but is now known as spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy was once thought to be the result of a lack of oxygen during birth. Other suggestions continued to surface because the children with the cerebral palsy had other problems like mental retardation, visual disturbances, and seizures. Until the 1980's it was still believed that birth complications caused most cases of cerebral palsy until scientists analyzed data from a government study and found that less than 10% of the cerebral palsy births were due to birth complications.

Cerebral palsy affects the nerves that regulate and control the body's muscles. The literal meaning of the word cerebral is the brains two halves and palsy describes any disorder that impairs control of body movement. When there is faulty development or damage to motor areas, as in cerebral palsy, it disrupts the brains ability to control movement and posture sufficiently.

For more information, see Causes of Cerebral Palsy.

People with cerebral palsy must endure extremely difficult medical, social, and educational development. There are four main categories of cerebral palsy, including spastic cerebral palsy, athetoid cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy, and mixed cerebral palsy.

For more information, see Types of Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis and Risks

Characteristics have been observed that seem to increase the possibility of a child being diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Although there are always risk factors for certain conditions, such as cerebral palsy, this does not mean that certain factors will always result in cerebral palsy. Some of the risk factors that have been uncovered should be easily recognizable to doctors as indicators. Babies that are born with cerebral palsy are sometimes born with breech presentation. Breech presentation is when a baby is presented feet first as opposed to the typical head first birth. A complicated labor and delivery may be a sign that the infant could have cerebral palsy. Cases of cerebral palsy are recognized by vascular or respiratory problems that are sometimes the first sign that a baby has suffered some brain damage or has not fully developed their brain. There is a numbered rating scale that reflects a newborns condition by checking the baby's heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes, and skin color in the first minutes after birth, called the Apgar score. A low Apgar score indicated potential problems and babies with cerebral palsy often score a low Apgar.

Premature births and low birth weight has been shown to correlate with cerebral palsy. The risk for cerebral palsy increases as the weight falls. Multiple births are also considered a risk for cerebral palsy. Some babies with cerebral palsy have visible nervous system malformation like an abnormally small head suggesting that problems occurred in the development of the nervous system when the baby was in the womb.

There are also indicators of cerebral palsy that show up in the mother carrying the child. Maternal bleeding or severe proteinuria late in pregnancy or vaginal bleeding during the sixth to ninth months of pregnancy is linked to higher risk of cerebral palsy babies. Mothers who have hyperthyroidism, mental retardation, or seizures are also more likely to have a child with cerebral palsy. Seizures in the newborn child can also indicate a higher risk of being diagnosed with cerebral palsy later in childhood.

Cerebral Palsy Prevention

Preventing cerebral palsy is not always possible but there are certain causes that can be treated or prevent cerebral palsy. Healthy pregnancy is always advisable though a healthy pregnancy will not always prevent cerebral palsy from occurring. A head injury that can lead to cerebral palsy can be prevented by the regular use of safety devices.

Child safety seats in the car and bicycle helmets along with safety measures in the home can prevent accidental injuries and protect a child's head from becoming injured and leading to cerebral palsy. Newborn babies with jaundice can be treated with phototherapy that exposes the affected baby to special lights that break down bile pigments and prevent them from building up and threatening the brain. A blood test that is routinely performed on expectant mothers can find Rh incompatibility that can be treated with a special serum to prevent unwanted production of antibodies. Doctors can minimize problems by watching the developing baby and performing a transfusion when necessary. A simple vaccination that can be given to women before becoming pregnant can keep Rubella or German measles from occurring and leading to cerebral palsy.

Prior to three years of age parents can tell if there may be something different about their baby. Children who are not developing motor skills at a normal pace may possibly have cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy infants are frequently slower to reach developmental milestones. Abnormal muscle tone may appear in the child, including decreased muscle tone that makes the baby appear relaxed and floppy and increased muscle tone that makes the baby seem stiff or rigid can indicate cerebral palsy. While these symptoms are good indicators of cerebral palsy they can also be developmental problems. A doctor can help distinguish this.

Treatment of Cerebral Palsy

A birth injury is a physical injury to a baby that occurs during the birthing process. Birth injury may also be referred to as a birth trauma. Some examples of birth injury conditions are brachial palsy, bruising/forceps marks, cephalohematoma, facial paralysis due to pressure on the baby's face causing facial nerve damage, fractures, or the breakage of small blood vessels in the infant's eyes. Birth injury incidents can often be prevented through proper prenatal care and monitoring. The occurrence of a birth injury is much more rare today due to improved prenatal testing; however the chance of a birth injury still exists and injuries can be sustained during delivery, although steps to minimize serious birth injury such as cerebral palsy should always be taken. In some cases, the baby sustains a birth injury due to improper techniques resulting in nerve damage or oxygen deprivation.

A devastating birth injury like cerebral palsy occurs when the brain is damaged before or during birth. Such a birth injury may be the result of improper medical responses to fetal distress. In order to prevent birth injury, hospitals should use a fetal monitor that tracks the heart rate and responses to contractions. Birth injury can occur if the doctor fails to recognize and respond to distress. Children sustaining a birth injury may be only slightly affected, or may suffer permanent damage. A more serious birth injury, such as Erb's palsy or encephalopathy, can result in paralysis or mental retardation. If the birth injury results from the negligence of the medical staff, then the doctor/hospital should be held responsible. Birth injury costs can include emergency surgery, long term care and treatment, medication, etc. Children with birth injury conditions may never be capable of caring for themselves and the expense of treating a birth injury and achieving the best possible quality of life can be quite high. Additionally, a birth injury is traumatic and devastating for the entire family. Parents of a child with a birth injury may be entitled to compensation for the emotional and psychological distress they suffer.

When a birth injury occurs through the negligence or poor judgment of medical professionals; the family living with the birth injury may have many questions about their legal rights. As attorneys experienced in birth injury cases we may be able to help explain how to decide if the birth injury could have been prevented with proper medical attention.

If you feel your child suffers from Cerebral Palsy and wish to bring legal action to compensate your child for their physical and emotional damages, please contact us today through our free online form.