Cerebral Palsy Physiotherapy

While some people use the term “physiotherapy” to refer to a specific subset of therapeutic exercises, others use it in the same way as “physical therapy.” Physiotherapy typically refers to “exercises, massages and various treatments based on physical stimuli…to relieve pain, help you move better or strengthen weakened muscles.”

Because there is currently no cure for cerebral palsy (CP), physiotherapy is an integral part of most CP-specific treatment plans. However, physiotherapy and other treatments cost money (often, a lot of money). If you want a lawyer to seek compensation covering physiotherapy and other treatment for your child, call the Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance today to be connected to a Cerebral Palsy Lawyer in their network.

Physiotherapy Is One of Several Treatments Meant to Ease CP Symptoms

Before delving into the specifics of physiotherapy for cerebral palsy, we must acknowledge that physiotherapy is just one of many treatments someone with CP may need. 

Other potential treatments for those with cerebral palsy include:

Surgery

Much can go wrong when someone has cerebral palsy, and surgery is sometimes necessary to address those unforeseen problems (like joint dislocations). Surgery may also:

• Correct or improve scoliosis and other spinal problems
• Correct joint problems
• Relieve some muscle tension
• Achieve other means that provide some relief to the person with CP

Surgery may be a particularly expensive but potentially helpful form of treatment.

Medication

Cerebral palsy introduces a complex array of health problems. While medications are not a cure-all, they can be immensely helpful in relieving certain symptoms. An attorney will account for your child’s medications as they determine how much compensation your family deserves.

Mental Health Services

As those with cerebral palsy grow up, they often come to recognize their challenges. When they are in pain, they have no choice but to endure psychological and emotional hardship. If your child ever needs mental health services, your attorney will work to ensure you have the money to cover those services.

Parents who have recently learned of their child’s cerebral palsy may not fully comprehend how extensive and expensive treatment can be. You should be free to pursue any and all treatment that helps your child, including physiotherapy. 

Consider working with a cerebral palsy attorney who will work to obtain the money you and your child need for current and future care, including physiotherapy.

Parents and Guardians Also Need Help When Their Child Has Cerebral Palsy

The cost of physiotherapy, mental health services, and other treatments for your child does not capture the entire toll of cerebral palsy. 

Your child should receive fair compensation for all their medical needs, as well as their pain and suffering. Parents also face profound challenges when their child is born with cerebral palsy, and you should receive fair compensation for:

The Cost of Your Child’s Care

Parents generally face the cost of a disabled child’s medical care. Your attorney will work with medical professionals to determine the cost of:

• Medical treatment your child has already received
• Medical treatment your child is certain to need in the future
• Medical treatment your child can potentially require in the future

Each child’s CP symptoms are unique. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer will learn about your child’s struggles, chart their medical needs, and seek a financial recovery reflecting your family’s healthcare costs.

Your Pain and Suffering (and Any Mental Health Services You Need)

Parents are often shocked and devastated to learn their child has cerebral palsy. This shock, along with the ongoing challenges of raising a disabled child, can contribute to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Lost quality of life
• Personality and mood changes
• Other challenges that qualify as pain and suffering)

Pain and suffering has a cost. You may also face the cost of treatment, including but not limited to medications and counseling. A cerebral palsy attorney will work to ensure liable parties pay for the pain and suffering they’ve caused you (and your child).

Caregiver Costs

Parents of children with CP can face direct and indirect caregiver costs, which may include:

• The cost of hiring a full-time or part-time caregiver to help with childcare
• The financial and non-economic cost that comes when a parent must reduce their hours, leave their career, or make other sacrifices to provide the care their child requires

You may also need to purchase medical equipment, buy a new vehicle that accommodates your child’s CP symptoms, make home updates, and take other measures to improve your child’s quality of life. 

The Cost of Raising a Disabled Adult

Because there is no cure for cerebral palsy, many parents end up caring for their child into adulthood. This means you may face the financial expense of shelter, food, clothing, and other costs of living.

You deserve help, as does your child. Allow the Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance to connect you with an attorney who will fight for the financial recovery your family needs. 

What Is the Purpose of Physiotherapy in the Context of Cerebral Palsy?

Back to physiotherapy. This critical component of cerebral palsy-specific care serves many purposes, which can include:

• Improving range of motion: One of cerebral palsy’s most debilitating symptoms is muscle rigidity. Range of motion exercises may release tension in your child’s muscles and provide other benefits for balance, pain reduction, and quality of life. 
• Increasing balance: Many physiotherapy exercises focus specifically on improving the patient’s balance. Strong balance can allow your child to live a fuller life while reducing the likelihood of falls and injuries.
• Steadying their gait: Gait-specific physiotherapy can help someone with CP walk more naturally and with a lesser risk of falling. 
• Reducing pain: Stretching and other types of physiotherapy can reduce pain in those with cerebral palsy, just as stretching can help those without disabilities. 

A treatment as simple as a massage may provide immense benefits for your child. However, there is a wide range of available physiotherapies, and taking full advantage of those therapies is critical to maximizing your child’s quality of life.

Different forms of cerebral palsy may require different types of physiotherapy. Someone with spastic CP may benefit from different therapies than someone with ataxic CP. This is why it is critical to determine what treatments your child needs and to seek compensation for those treatments. 

How a Lawyer Can Help Secure a Brighter, Less Stressful Future for Your Family (Including Your Child)

Now that you understand the benefits of physiotherapy and other treatments for cerebral palsy, turn your sights to obtaining the compensation your family deserves. Begin by hiring a cerebral palsy lawyer. The Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance can connect you with a lawyer experienced in cerebral palsy.

Amidst the stress, time-consuming demands, and even the rewards of raising your child, you likely have little room for a medical malpractice claim or lawsuit. You don’t need to have time to manage your cerebral palsy compensation case, because a cerebral palsy attorney will:

Learn About Your Child (and the Struggles You’ve Faced as a Parent)

Your lawyer’s job is to tell your story. The most effective medical malpractice lawyers take the time to learn about their clients. This process may involve:

• An in-person meeting with you (at your convenience)
• Reviewing all documentation in your possession
• Speaking with medical professionals about your child’s symptoms, treatment needs, and prognoses
• Your lawyer monitoring your child’s progress as your case moves forward

Compassionate lawyers are often more effective at their job, and you should learn this firsthand.

Document Medical Malpractice

If you have a case for compensation, it suggests that your child’s cerebral palsy resulted from medical malpractice. Your legal team will need to document that malpractice, and can do so with:

• Testimony from medical experts (who may state, in clear terms, that liable medical providers failed your child)
• Medical records that indicate negligence
• Your own account of what the negligent medical provide did (or didn’t) do to cause your child’s CP

Medical experts can be extremely valuable to your medical malpractice case. The more compelling such expert testimony is, the stronger your case will be. Your legal team will hire such experts at no additional cost to you.

Deal with Insurance Companies, Lawyers, and Others Involved in Your Case

You deserve the space and time to be with your child and care for yourself. Your attorney will handle all case-related interactions, which should:

• Protect you from the stress that occurs when insurance companies and other parties are contacting you without warning
• Provide your lawyer total oversight of your case, which is critical when building a successful medical malpractice claim
• Prevent anyone, including an insurance company, from violating your rights

Your attorney will also insist that the medical malpractice insurance provider handles your case urgently. 

Document the Damages That Entitle Your Family to Compensation

The success of your case boils down to a simple question: Does your lawyer secure enough money to cover current and future damages related to cerebral palsy?

You can only answer this question if your lawyer knows:

• What your and your child’s damages are
• How much your and your child’s damages are worth

Your legal team will investigate and document your family’s damages. Medical records, expert testimony about mental health problems and your child’s symptoms, and various financial records can all help show the cost of cerebral palsy.

Calculate the Exact Value of a Fair Financial Settlement

In the time leading to settlement negotiations, your lawyer will calculate the total value of your medical malpractice case. This calculation may be highly technical and complex, as they will likely need to account for damages that are years out (like future medical service and the cost of raising an adult with cerebral palsy).

It is important that you find a lawyer with extensive experience handling CP-specific cases. This will ensure they can calculate your case value accurately. 

Handle Settlement Negotiations for You

When your lawyer has collected evidence of malpractice, documented your damages, and calculated your case value, they will:

• Contact the insurance company or defense lawyer for the negligent medical provider
• Arrange settlement negotiations
• Organize all evidence and documentation into a logical, cohesive case
• Present this evidence and documentation (and lay out their settlement terms) to liable parties

Liable parties may meet your lawyer’s demands, though they often fight to pay as little as possible to malpractice victims. Your attorney will continue to insist on a fair settlement, and they will be ready to complete multiple negotiation rounds.

Represent You in Any Lawsuit You File

If liable parties do not agree to cover the cost of your child’s cerebral palsy, a lawsuit may be in your future. Medical malpractice lawsuits can take months (and in some cases, more than a year) to complete, but the time investment is often worth the wait.

When you hire a cerebral palsy attorney to handle your case, you:

• Truly have the option to file a lawsuit, as attorneys are uniquely qualified to file and complete medical malpractice lawsuits
• Will have your lawyer’s advice about whether a lawsuit is the appropriate course for your case
• Can trust your lawyer to lead every step of your lawsuit, including post-filing negotiations and any necessary trial

As complicated as medical malpractice insurance claims are, lawsuits introduce even more challenges. When you let a lawyer represent you, none of these challenges are your concern. Your legal team will manage every detail of your claim or lawsuit while you focus on family.

Can I Afford the Cost of Hiring a Cerebral Palsy Attorney?

Anyone who needs a medical malpractice attorney can afford one. The vast majority of cerebral palsy attorneys offer a contingency fee agreement in which the firm covers all case costs. Your lawyer will only be entitled to a fee if they get compensation for you and your child.

Attorneys are compassionate, and many of them derive immense fulfillment from helping disabled children and their parents get fair, much-needed compensation. Accept the help, you deserve it.

Do Not Wait a Minute Longer to Hire a Cerebral Palsy Attorney

Physiotherapy and other treatments for cerebral palsy can be tremendously expensive. Your other damages also come at a price.
Get your fight for compensation underway by hiring a cerebral palsy lawyer as soon as possible. Call the Cerebral Palsy Lawyer Alliance and we will put you in touch with a qualified, experienced lawyer.