Mixed Cerebral Palsy

New York Birth Injury Lawyers
Helping Sufferers of Mixed Cerebral Palsy

When children are born, everything must go right in order for injuries to be avoided.  Unfortunately, this is not always what occurs.  One of the most common results of a mistake that’s made by medical professionals during the delivery process is the contraction of cerebral palsy, which is a lifelong condition that involves much in the way of struggle and stress for both the parents and the child.  If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and you believe this diagnosis is the result of a mistake that was made by those performing the delivery, seek the help of New York birth injury lawyers as soon as possible.  Below is a brief overview of one of the types of cerebral palsy known as mixed cerebral palsy.

What is Mixed Cerebral Palsy?

Mixed cerebral palsy is a type of cerebral palsy where the child experienced symptoms that can be associated with different forms of the condition.  The most common combination of symptoms involve those associated with spastic cerebral palsy and athetoid cerebral palsy.  Specifically, these symptoms include the tight muscle tone of spastic cerebral palsy, which means that the muscle groups that are affected by this spasticity are limited in their movements.

Symptoms that are associated with athetoid cerebral palsy result from damage that’s been done to the cerebellum and/or the basal ganglia.  As a result of this type of damage, the patient will experience trouble with any coordinated movements and general posture.  Therefore, those who have this combination of conditions suffer from the inability to properly move certain muscle groups and the inability to move other groups properly.

How is Mixed Cerebral Palsy Diagnosed?

Mixed cerebral palsy is generally diagnosed over time.  Parents will begin to notice that the child is unable to develop motor skills and the ability to handle other basic tasks such as sitting up and crawling within the same timeframe as children of the same age.  When this occurs, a basic examination will usually produce this unfortunate diagnosis.

How is Mixed Cerebral Palsy Treated?

Mixed cerebral palsy can present difficult treatment choices.  The reason is that no two cases of mixed cerebral palsy are ever exactly the same, which means that doctors must formulate an individual treatment protocol designed to treat the outward symptoms and the underlying causes that can be managed.

Generally, this involves a combination of medications and other forms of therapy, and the patient will also usually undergo prolonged periods of physical therapy in order to maximize his or her abilities.  Over time, mixed cerebral palsy patients will gain strength and the ability to master certain tasks, but it is a long and difficult process.

If your child has been diagnosed with mixed cerebral palsy, you need to focus on the care and the nurturing of your child.  Therefore, you need to allow experienced New York birth injury lawyers to enforce your legal rights.  Contact Fitzgerald & Fitzgerald today to schedule a free initial consultation.