Cerebral palsy (CP)

Cerebral palsy (CP)

·         Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors.

·         There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking.

Definition of Cerebral Palsy

While Cerebral Palsy (pronounced seh-ree-brel pawl-zee) is a blanket term commonly referred to as “CP” and described by loss or impairment of motor function, Cerebral Palsy is actually caused by brain damage.

The brain damage is caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that occurs while a child’s brain is still developing — before birth, during birth, or immediately after birth.

Cerebral Palsy affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance.

 It can also impact fine motor skills, gross motor skills and oral motor functioning.

Signs and Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy are different for every child. Some symptoms are hardly noticeable, while others are more intense. The severity of a child’s brain injury affects the symptoms that develop.

The most common signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy are:

·         Problems with movement on one side of body

·         Stiff muscles,

·         Exaggerated or jerky reflexes

·         Involuntary movements or tremors

·         Lack of coordination and balance

·         Drooling,

·         Problems swallowing or sucking

·         Difficulty with speech (dysarthria)

·         Seizures,Contractures (shortening of muscles)

·         Delayed motor skill development

·         Incontinence,Gastrointestinal problems

Damage to a developing brain can cause issues other than the movement problems associated with cerebral palsy. Therefore, those with CP often develop co-occurring conditions as a result of their brain injury.

Common Causes of Cerebral Palsy:

·         Bacterial and viral infections

·         Bleeding in the brain (hemorrhaging)

·         A lack of oxygen to the brain before, during or after birth (asphyxia)

·         Prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, mercury poisoning from fish and toxoplasmosis from raw/undercooked meat

·         Head injuries sustained during birth or in the first few years of infancy

Types of Cerebral Palsy

There are many different forms of cerebral palsy. CP is classified by the type and location of movement problems. There are also different levels of severity in each individual, which leads to the variations in each case of cerebral palsy.

Types of Movement Problems

Spastic (70% of cases) — The most common type of cerebral palsy is known as spastic cerebral palsy. It is caused by damage to the brain’s motor cortex and features stiff, exaggerated movements.

Athetoid/dyskinetic (10%) — This type is caused by injury to the brain’s basal ganglia (which controls balance and coordination). Children with this type of cerebral palsy experience difficulty holding themselves up and often exhibit involuntary tremors.

Ataxic (10%) — Ataxic cerebral palsy is characterized by lack of coordination and balance caused by damage to the cerebellum (the part of the brain that connects to the spine).

Mixed (10%) — Some cases of cerebral palsy can be mixed, exhibiting symptoms of several different types.

Treatment For Cerebral Palsy

Treatment for cerebral palsy is twofold — there is treatment early in life and lifelong management.

Early treatment for children with cerebral palsy is important because the developing brain and body are more resilient. There are more opportunities to correct or improve some of the child’s conditions during this time.

Treatment isn’t focused on curing or fully correcting the child’s issues. Rather, it’s about nurturing a child’s development so they can live as independently as possible. In fact, many children with cerebral palsy are completely self-sufficient and have satisfying, meaningful lives. Treating the issues that coincide with CP is the best way to ensure the highest quality of life for the child.

Children with cerebral palsy can improve their motor skills with the help of therapy and other treatments. Parents should seek out a multidisciplinary team of specialists to effectively treat their child.

The multidisciplinary team may include:

·         Developmental pediatricians,Neurologists

·         Psychologists (to assess ability and behavior)

·         Orthopedic surgeons,Physical therapists

·         Respiratory therapists,Speech therapists

·         Nutritionists,Occupational therapists