Spastic Hemiplegia Causes & Treatment

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When One Side Won’t Loosen: What Spastic Hemiplegia Really Means

Spastic hemiplegia is a subtype of cerebral palsy in which brain injury to the motor cortex causes muscle stiffness and weakness on one side of the body. Roughly 80 percent of all cerebral palsy cases are spastic, and hemiplegia accounts for about one third of that group. National surveillance shows cerebral palsy affects one in 345 U.S. children, meaning dozens of Florida babies each year will grow up needing orthotics, therapy, and adaptive devices. Early recognition matters because infants who start intervention before age two gain better hand function and cognitive outcomes than those diagnosed later.

Why Brain Injuries Happen and When Negligence Plays a Role

Common medical causes include oxygen deprivation, untreated maternal infections, and improper use of delivery tools that injure delicate neonatal blood vessels. Florida hospitals must monitor fetal distress and intervene when tracings show hypoxia; failure to act within accepted guidelines can constitute malpractice. State legislators also created the NICA program to compensate families when severe neurological injuries result from obstetric care, but qualifying can bar a lawsuit unless providers acted outside program rules. Percy Martinez’s legal medical review distinguishes standard complications from preventable errors within 72 hours of intake.

Early Intervention Changes Futures and Controls Costs

AAP guidelines call for diagnosis “as early as red flags appear” so therapy can harness neuroplasticity during the first two years. Constraint induced movement therapy, bimanual training, and parent led home programs improve arm use and language when started before 24 months. These services cost tens of thousands annually, but timely malpractice claims can secure structured settlements that fund therapy while preserving Medicaid eligibility, an approach Percy Martinez’s trust planning team documents for every client.

Proven Treatments: Botox to Surgery in One Coordinated Plan

Targeted botulinum toxin injections reduce spasticity long enough for therapists to stretch and splint affected limbs. Orthopedic surgery or selective dorsal rhizotomy may follow when growth spurts tighten muscles faster than therapy can loosen them. Families also rely on occupational, physical, and speech therapy to build bilateral skills. Percy Martinez catalogs each intervention’s projected cost and lifespan in legal demands, ensuring insurers confront real numbers instead of averages.

Florida Malpractice Rules: Deadlines and Damage Caps

Families generally have two years from when the injury should have been discovered to file a malpractice claim, though minors receive additional time under the statute’s tolling provisions. Private provider cases face no cap on noneconomic damages after McCall and Kalitan rulings, allowing juries to match lifetime needs. Claims against public hospitals remain limited to $200,000 per patient without a legislative claims bill. Percy Martinez files notice letters early to preserve rights while collecting neonatal records, APGAR sheets, and electronic fetal monitoring strips.

Lifetime Costs and Legal Recovery: Putting Numbers to Needs

Modern estimates place lifetime care for cerebral palsy at $1.6 million in 2025 dollars, excluding ordinary living costs. Florida juries have awarded eight figure sums when evidence proves around the clock care, and a recent Miami verdict reached $33.8 million for birth related brain damage. Percy Martinez employs economists and life care planners to project therapies, adaptive housing, and caregiver wages, then structures settlements to satisfy Medicaid lien audits and future college fund rules.

Why Florida Families Choose Percy Martinez

Across Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach, Percy Martinez has resolved more than 100 birth injury claims and recovered over $30 million for children with cerebral palsy.* His bilingual team secures obstetric records within three days, partners with pediatric neurologists who testify on hypoxic ischemic patterns, and prepares NICA eligibility briefs when appropriate. Clients receive a ledger of every projected expense: therapy hours, orthotics, respite care, so payouts arrive clean, traceable, and audit ready. *Audited figures on file.

Free Birth Injury Audit: Your Child’s Timeline Is Already Ticking

Critical CT scans and neonatal logs can disappear in weeks. Book Percy Martinez’s no cost spastic hemiplegia audit now; we deliver a liability memo, cost projection, and record request kit within one week. Call (800) 382-3176 or schedule online: we travel to hospitals and homes statewide so therapy can begin while justice takes shape.