What is Celebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is the term given to a group of disorders that affect balance, movement and posture. Symptoms of cerebral palsy most often occur before age 3. Cerebral palsy is not a muscle or nerve disorder, but a problem with the brain's ability to control movement. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but treatment can improve the way of life for individuals suffering from the condition.

Causes

• Cerebral palsy is caused by either damage to the brain, during birth or afterward, or when the part of the brain that controls movement does not develop correctly. The symptoms of cerebral palsy usually do not get worse over time.

Considerations

• A baby with cerebral palsy is slow to perform normal functions that indicate growth such as smiling, rolling over, sitting up, crawling and walking.

Symptoms

• The symptoms of cerebral palsy include trouble with writing and other fine motor skills, balance and coordination problems, and trouble walking. Other symptoms include involuntary muscle movements of the hands and drooling. Seizures and mental retardation are conditions that sometimes go along with cerebral palsy.

Types

• Cerebral palsy is categorized into four types. People with athetoid cerebral palsy have slow, uncontrolled movements of the arms, legs, hands and feet, along with jerky, abrupt movements, and slow movements accompanied by abnormal posture. Ataxic cerebral palsy causes problems with coordination, depth perception, walking and precise movements, and may cause tremors. Spastic CP is the most common kind and involves muscle stiffness and contraction. There are five subcategories of spastic cerebral palsy. Each is named for the part of the body it affects. Spastic diplegia affects either both arms or both legs. Quadriplegia affects both arms and both legs. Spastic hemiplegia affects only one side of the body. Spastic monoplegia affects only one leg or one arm, and spastic triplegia affects three limbs. Both monoplegia and triplegia are very rare. Mixed CP is the final type, and can involve a mix of any of the others.

Treatment

• Treatment for cerebral palsy is multifaceted and can include physical therapy, speech therapy, braces for walking, counseling and behavioral therapy, mechanical aids such as wheelchairs and medication to help with seizures and muscle relaxants to help with contractions. There are side effects with the medications that have to be taken into consideration. Different types of surgery are also employed to help the various symptoms of cerebral palsy such as muscle contraction, spasms, tremors and rigidity, and to improve motor function.