Oregon Birth Injury Lawyers Explain the Four Types of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy, or CP, is a condition which is caused by a disorder or group of disorders affecting the brain. Cerebral palsy is a condition which affects movement, both voluntarily and involuntarily. It is caused by damage to the developing brain of a newborn. The damage is usually caused by damage during the labor and deliver process due to an oxygen deprivation, or hypoxic condition. This is also known as a type of birth asphyxia where the baby does not receive sufficient oxygen. The lack of oxygen causes lesions on the brain which prevent brain tissue from growing and developing naturally. Our Oregon birth injury lawyers explain how medical malpractice could cause cerebral palsy and that four types of cerebral palsy.
How Oregon Medical Malpractice Could Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a devastating condition that could be caused by oxygen deprivation during the birthing process. This could occur before a baby is coming down the birth canal, during the baby’s traveling through the birth canal, or after the baby has been born. While there are many ways that cerebral palsy could be caused by natural complications, often times Oregon medical malpractice cases CP birth injuries. Some of the most common causes of cerebral palsy include the following:
- Delays in a c-section;
- Failing to treat an umbilical cord prolapse;
- Failing to identify and react to an umbilical cord rupture;
- Excessive contractions;
- Overdosing on Pitocin;
- Head injuries to the baby;
- Improper handling of the baby;
- Improper use of extraction tools;
- Failing to monitor for fetal distress;
- Neglecting to repair and stop bleeding in a baby;
- Delays in starting airway therapy;
- Negligent hiring or inadequate supervision; and
- Many other common causes.
There are many other possible causes of cerebral palsy. These types of cerebral palsy could result in very serious and permanent injuries. These injuries could cause any type of CP. It does not matter how the injuries were caused to the brain, any injury could cause any type of CP. But it is the location of the damage and the severity of the damage which could result in the most severe forms of CP and the type of CP.
Four Types of Cerebral Palsy
Generally, there are four types of cerebral palsy. There are also multiple subsets of each type of cerebral palsy. These subsets focus on the specific type of CP based on the damage to the brain. The court types of cerebral palsy include the following:
Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Approximately 70 to 80 percent of all cerebral palsy cases are spastic cerebral palsy. This is caused by damage to the motor cortex which governs voluntary movement. Damage is usually also caused to the pyramidal tract which relay messages to muscles. Like all types of cerebral palsy, there is also some damage to the cerebellum and basil ganglia, but that is not the main areas of damage. The most common signs of spastic CP include the following:
- Stiffness to one part of the body;
- Abnormal reflexes;
- Permanent tightened muscles or joints which are hyper rigid and stiff;
- Abnormal gait;
- Jerky, erratic, and popping movements;
- Exaggerated movements;
- Hypertonia (extreme muscle building); and
- Other related symptoms.
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
This is the next most common types of cerebral palsy which is caused by damage to the basal ganglia and cerebellum. This damage is usually more severe to these structures which is what makes athetoid cerebral palsy different than other types of cerebral palsies which also cause damage to these structures. Athetoid cerebral palsy is characterized by a cycling mix of hypotonia (lack of muscle) and hypertonia (rigid muscle).
The most common signs of athetoid cerebral palsy include the following:
- Very stiff and rigid body which causes problems sitting, walking, laying down, or moving in any manner;
- Very soft, floppy muscles that have trouble performing tasks including lifting against gravity;
- Issues with posture, pabiularly difficult issues with posture;
- Issues eating, drinking, and otherwise performing basic hygiene; and
- Other types of rigid and soft reactions that fluctuate.
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
This is a less common type of CP but it can cause major disruptions in how a person is able to balance and coordination movement. Ataxic cerebral palsy causes very unfortunate symptoms due to extensive damage to the cerebellum. The most common symptoms are tremors, hypotonia, difficulty speaking, shaking, and abnormal walking. Victims also have vision issues such as depth perception and peripheral vision.
Mixed Cerebral Palsy
As the name implies, mixed cerebral palsy is a combination of all of these general types. The symptoms may be constitute or fluctuate a little like athetoid cerebral palsy. The usually occurs when the damage to the brain is extensive but not focused on one area specifically. This means that victims may have serious problems adjusting and copying to disabilities. This is particularly true for victims who have a combination of spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy which can cause extreme fluctuations.
Does Your Loved One Have Cerebral Palsy? We Can Help
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of medical malpractice contact the Oregon Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take medical malpractice cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.
