Cerebral Palsy Attorney in Chicago
Cerebral Palsy Attorney in Chicago
Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a diverse group of conditions that all involve permanent movement disorders, impairments, and disabilities that affect muscle tone (spasticity or hypotonia), body posture, and muscle weakness or paralysis. Cerebral palsy conditions are due to abnormalities of the developing fetal brain resulting from a variety of causes, preterm birth and including brain injury during labor, often from insufficient blood flow or oxygen deprivation.
The affected child usually has functional limitations, which can range from very mild to profoundly debilitating. The motor dysfunction in CP may or may not be accompanied by other problems, such as intellectual limitations, speech and behavioral difficulties, seizure disorders, and musculoskeletal complications.
While cerebral palsy does not worsen as the brain will not further degenerate, it is a permanent condition that cannot be cured. Children who suffer cerebral palsy often require a lifetime of surgery, therapy, and additional supportive care.
Chicago Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
If your child was born in Cook County with cerebral palsy as the result of a medical professional’s negligence, you could be entitled to financial compensation for all of your past and future medical expenses, in addition to other damages related to your child’s injury. It is in your best interest to contact a birth injury attorney as soon as possible to take legal action.
Susan E. Loggans is a personal injury lawyer in Chicago with years of experience who represents clients in communities all over the Chicagoland area, such as Berwyn, Chicago, Elgin, Evanston, Des Plaines, and many others. Our birth injury lawyer will provide an honest and thorough evaluation of your medical malpractice case when you call (312) 588-9773 to take advantage of a no-obligation, free case review. Susan E. Loggans & Associates handles cases on a contingency fee basis, so you will not pay our firm one cent unless you receive a favorable verdict from your medical malpractice lawsuit.
Overview of Cerebral Palsy Attorney in Chicago
Chicago Cerebral Palsy Lawyer
Types of Cerebral Palsy
What Causes Cerebral Palsy?
Cook County Cerebral Palsy Resources
Types of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is often classified by the level of severity. Mild cerebral palsy means a child is able to move without assistance and his or her daily activities are not limited, moderate cerebral palsy involves the need for braces, medications, or other assistance to accomplish daily activities, and severe cerebral palsy typically applies to a child’s condition when it requires wheelchairs and faces major challenges with daily activities.
A cerebral palsy diagnosis is based on the type of body movement and posture problem. Types of cerebral palsy are determined by the areas of the brain that are damaged. Some of the most prominent kinds of CP include, but are not limited to:
1. Spastic Cerebral Palsy
The most common form of CP, spastic cerebral palsy involves damage to a child’s motor cortex—the principal brain area of the brain involved in motor skills. Spastic cerebral palsy can result in possible hemiplegia (weakness on one side of the body), diplegia (weakness in both arms or both legs), monoplegia (weakness of one extremity), quadriplegia (weakness of all extremities), or triplegia (weakness of all but one arm or leg).
2. Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy
Dyskinetic involves damage to a child’s basal ganglia, the set of interconnected nuclei in the forebrain that plays an important role in muscle coordination and movement. Dyskinetic CP is separated further into two different groups: athetoid cerebral palsy involving involuntary movement—usually in the arms, legs, and hands—and dystonia/dystonic cerebral palsy, which usually results in a person’s body and neck being held in a fixed, uncomfortable position.
3. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Ataxic CP involves damage to a person’s cerebellum, which controls balance and coordination. It is relatively rare and typically involves tremors and shaky movements.
4. Mixed Cerebral Palsy
Mixed CP cases involve damage to multiple parts of the brain. Children in such cases may exhibit symptoms of multiple types of cerebral palsy, impacting overall quality of life.
What Causes Cerebral Palsy?
The exact causes of cerebral palsy are not always immediately clear. While certain cases are congenital and conditions develop because of a variety of conditions, other cases involve medical negligence resulting in preventable birth injuries.
Common types of medical malpractice from healthcare providers that can cause children to be born with cerebral palsy include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Failure to detect or properly treat maternal conditions and infections, resulting in brain damage or lack of oxygen to the fetus.
- Delay in performing or failure to perform medically necessary cesarean section (C-section).
- Failure to monitor fetal heart rate before and during labor and birth.
- Improper use of forceps, vacuum extractors, or other medical equipment and birth-assisting tools.
- Failure to detect prolapsed umbilical cords.
Cook County Cerebral Palsy Resources
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Seguin of Greater Chicago
UCP Seguin is a registered 501(c)(3) charity licensed by the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). It is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Visit this website to learn more about UCP Seguin’s mission, history, and strategic plan.
Cerebral Palsy Research Registry (CPRR)
The CPRR identifies itself as “a multi-institutional collaborative effort whose primary mission is to improve our understanding of cerebral palsy.” It includes representatives from Northwestern University Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and the University of Chicago. Use this website to learn more about research studies, find answers to frequently asked questions, and access previous newsletters.
Cure CP
Cure CP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to funding the support of cerebral palsy research. On this website, you can read studies supported by Cure CP and find answers to frequently asked questions. You can also find information about upcoming events, read recent news and articles, and find stories of children who have participated in clinical trials co-funded by Cure CP.
Susan E. Loggans Law
Was your child born with cerebral palsy in northern Illinois? Contact the Susan E. Loggans & Associates legal team for help holding all negligent parties accountable. An experienced cerebral palsy lawyer, Susan E. Loggans was previously on the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago Board of Directors and has been fighting for the rights of those suffering from CP in both the legal and medical fields overseeing cerebral palsy cases.
Chicago personal injury attorney Susan E. Loggans fights for families in Burbank, Oak Forest, Elmhurst, Park Ridge, Calumet City, and several other nearby communities in and around Cook County. Call (312) 588-9773 or complete an online contact form below to have our law firm review your child’s cerebral palsy and/or birth injury case and discuss all of your legal options during a free case evaluation.