Nebraska Hemiparesis Attorneys

Hemiparesis

Hemiparesis is weakness or partial paralysis that affects only one side of the body. It is often less severe than hemiplegia, which is total paralysis on one side of the body. Nevertheless, hemiparesis can make life much more difficult for those who experience it. Hemiparesis can impair a person’s ability to perform basic daily tasks, like bathing, eating, dressing, or moving around the house. Hemiparesis that affects a person’s face can also make it hard from them to make facial expressions, talk, or deal with irritants in the eyes or nose by blinking or sneezing.

Symptoms of Hemiparesis

Hemiparesis can impair a person’s ability to perform basic daily tasks, like bathing, eating, dressing, or moving around the house.Each person who has hemiparesis may have slightly different symptoms than others who live with the condition. Hemiparesis can cause difficulties with balance or movement, since the one-sided weakness in the body means that the person may have a hard time coordinating his or her movements. Hemiparesis can also cause difficulty talking, especially if the condition affects the left side of the brain, where most people process language. Some people with hemiparesis experience difficulty remembering which is their right side and which is their left.

Hemiparesis may be a symptom or a result of a medical condition, depending on the person’s individual situation. For instance, strokes may cause hemiparesis, as can birth injuries like cerebral palsy or facial nerve palsy. Medical conditions like migraines, head trauma, or brain tumors may or may not have hemiparesis as a symptom of the condition.

Failure to Diagnose Medical Conditions

When hemiparesis occurs, it is vital for the patient’s medical team to check carefully to make sure the weakness or paralysis is not caused by an underlying life-threatening condition, like a stroke or brain tumor. If a physician fails to diagnose a serious medical condition, the patient can suffer life-changing or even fatal results. Even if a patient already has a condition that causes hemiparesis, like cerebral palsy, the person’s doctors should check carefully for other dangerous medical conditions if the hemiparesis gets worse, appears on the other side of the body, or begins to impair movements that were not affected before.

Hemiparesis Treatment

In most cases, hemiparesis is treated with physical therapy and other kinds of therapy to help people regain strength and movement in the affected parts of the body and to compensate by using the non-affected side of the body for certain tasks. Patients undergoing therapy for hemiparesis often do best when they are regularly engaged in therapy, but a family facing crushing medical bills may have difficulty ensuring a loved one makes all of his or her therapy appointments, especially if the hemiparesis resulted from unexpected medical negligence.

Holding Negligent Parties Responsible

Hemiparesis is just one condition that can be caused by medical malpractice. It may occur when a physician or emergency room team fails to diagnose a stroke or other brain or spine condition correctly. It may also be a result of surgery, if the brain is injured by a lack of oxygen or other anesthesia error. In addition, hemiparesis is a common symptom of birth injuries like cerebral palsy or facial nerve palsy, which in many cases might have been prevented if the medical team had taken proper care during the delivery.

Hemiparesis is not only scary, it’s life-changing and puts the patient who has it at risk of further injuries from falls or difficulty coordinating movements. If you or someone you love has hemiparesis and you believe the condition was caused by medical malpractice, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Omaha hemiparesis medical malpractice attorneys at Cullan & Cullan. We can help you obtain the compensation you need from negligent parties for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.