How Much Will Cerebral Palsy Cost to Treat? Portland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Explains

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Financial Repercussions of Cerebral Palsy Explained by Our Portland Cerebral Palsy Lawyer: How Much Will Cerebral Palsy Cost to Treat?

There are many different types of birth injuries which could be caused to an innocent newborn.  Birth injuries can be caused before birth, including the failure to treat certain conditions such as gestational diabetes, high material blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, and other material or fetal conditions.  Birth injuries can also be caused during the labor and delivery process, including due to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), umbilical cord ruptures or prolapse, prolonged labor, and other conditions.  Moreover, some birth injuries can even be caused immediately after birth or in the months and even up to two years after birth.  All birth injuries can be expensive, and one type of birth injury is cerebral palsy.  Many families ask how much will cerebral palsy cost to treat in Oregon.

Our Portland cerebral palsy lawyer knows that cerebral palsy is one of the most severe and devastating types of birth injuries.  As a result, cerebral palsy is also one of the types of birth injuries which does cost a family a lot of money initially and over the years.  This is because cerebral palsy is a type of birth injury which will continue throughout a person’s life and will frequently need to have adjustments in treatment, care, or assistance to help manage a person’s life.  Most people know this and usually ask how much will cerebral palsy cost to treat because of these factors.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Initially it is important to understand what cerebral palsy actually is.  Also known as CP, the CDC defines cerebral palsy as a disorder or a group of disorders caused by damage to the brain.  The damage is caused by lots of factors while the newborn’s brain is rapidly developing, including a lack of oxygen or a decrease in oxygen supply.  The lack of oxygen that causes damage results in lesions or gaps of development where the brain is rapidly growing.  This damage to the brain results in weakness to certain muscles or bodily functions.  This weakness is due to the damage in the brain which governs these muscles.  Thus, the type of cerebral palsy is directly related to where the brain is damaged.  Generally, cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the cerebellum and the basil ganglia.

There are four general types of cerebral palsy, which include the following:

  • Spastic cerebral palsy – characterized by rigid and stiff muscles and joints which create difficulty walking, particularly due to range of motion restrictions, difficulty bending down or over, sitting, walking, running, laying down, and getting up.  Spastic cerebral palsy is due to hypertonia which is an increased muscle tone thought to be caused by uncontrollable nerve firings which flex the muscle.  This is the most common type of CP.
  • Athetoid cerebral palsy – characterized by flaccid and loose muscle tone known as hypotonia, this type of CP can cause tremors, weak muscles, and a difficulty with balance, posture, and movement.  Movements can be slow and twisting or writhing.  This is the second most common type of CP.
  • Ataxic cerebral palsy – this is the rarest type of CP which causes involuntary muscle movements and tremors, particularly during fine motor movements like writing, brushing teeth, eating, and buttoning a shirt.  However, gross motor movements like walking, sitting, or other movements are not usually effected or at least greatly affected.  This condition can cause constant tremors and involuntary movements.
  • Mixed cerebral palsy – this is a type of CP which is caused by damage to various parts of the brain and therefor could cause any of the CPs above or a combination.  Sometimes the type of CP fluctuates and shifts from one type to another.  This CP is rare and hard to manage because treatment can vary depending on the primary type of CP being experience, which can shift.

Treatment for CP

Our Portland cerebral palsy lawyers know that there is no cure to cerebral palsy.  This means that individuals who have CP will be unable to be cured.  However, there are medications and treatment options which can help individuals with CP.  There are also some therapies like physical therapy, occupational, and speech therapy which can help manage the disability and allow individuals with CP to live long and productive lives.  The skills, tricks, and assistance from doctors, nurses, and therapists can really help cancel out some of the symptoms can treatments caused by cerebral palsy.

Unfortunately, this usually will mean that treatment options for CP must continue throughout a person’s live.  This include medical supplies, equipment, therapy, medication, and other intervention.

Costs of CP: How Much Will Cerebral Palsy Cost to Treat?

Cerebral palsy is a very expensive disability and medical condition. According to CDC statistics, the average lifetime costs for a child with cerebral palsy is 10 times higher than children without such disability, and if the child has cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability (which is common), the lifetime costs is 26 times higher than children without either condition.

These costs include for the following:

  • Initial diagnosis including MRIs and scans
  • Initial treatment efforts
  • Doctor followups
  • Nursing care
  • Medical equipment like braces, wheelchairs, and other objects
  • Therapy such as physical, occupational, speech, and emotional
  • Medication
  • Modifications to a home or vehicle 
  • Special accommodations at home, school, work
  • Medical beds, chairs, and other devices
  • Nursing care and medical care, including 24/7 care as one ages, and
  • Other common costs.

In addition, if a child’s cerebral palsy was caused by Oregon medical malpractice and preventable birth injuries, a victim and his or her family may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, loss of consortium and affection, and other conditions related to a normal life including familial bonds.  This is why calling a trial-tested Portland birth injury lawyer is necessary to protect your rights to compensation.

Ask Our Portland Cerebral Palsy Lawyers for How Much Will it Cost to Treat Cerebral Palsy in Oregon for Your Child: FREE Case Evaluation

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.

For a free case evaluation

Call

(541) 385-1999 in Bend, Oregon
(503) 479-3646 in Portland, Oregon
(612) 444-3374 in Minnesota

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