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Proposed Definition & Classification of Cerebral Palsy

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke, or NINDS, defines cerebral palsy as "any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or early childhood and permanently affect body movement and muscle coordination but don't worsen over time." Cerebral palsy results from abnormal brain development. The majority of people with cerebral palsy have the condition from birth, although in some cases it is the result of a traumatic injury during infancy.

  1. Diagnosis

    • While the majority of people have cerebral palsy from birth, a diagnosis may not be determined immediately. Early signs of cerebral palsy include involuntary movements, tight muscles and a delay in gross motor skills, such as crawling and walking. Doctors may use tests, such as a magnetic resonance imaging or computerized tomography scan, to confirm a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Specific diagnoses can be classified by range of movement and the number of limbs affected.

    Limb Classifications

    • Classifications of cerebral palsy determined by the number of limbs affected are quadriplegia, diplegia, hemiplegia, triplegia and monoplegia. Quadriplegia and diplegia both involve impairment of all four limbs. However, diplegia affects the legs more than does quadriplegia. Hemiplegia refers to cerebral palsy that affects only one side of the body. Triplegia impairs three limbs, usually both arms and one leg, according to the Ontario Foundation for Cerebral Palsy. Monoplegia affects only one limb, typically an arm.

    Classification by Movement

    • Movement impairment caused by cerebral palsy falls into one of three classifications: spastic, athetoid and ataxic.

    Spastic Cerebral Palsy

    • The prominent symptom of spastic cerebral palsy is tight muscles. When overused, muscles can become weak, causing clumsy movement. Treatment for spastic cerebral palsy focuses on loosening muscles and may include physical therapy, muscle-relaxing medication, and braces for stretching muscles. Spastic cerebral palsy results from damage to the brain's cerebral cortex.

    Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

    • Symptoms of athetoid cerebral palsy include involuntary movements and speech difficulties. Alternating muscle tension causes the involuntary movements associated with athetoid cerebral palsy. An excess amount of facial movement causes the speech difficulties. Physical therapy and speech therapy may help alleviate symptoms. According to Cerebral Palsy Source, athetoid cerebral palsy accounts for 25 percent of all cases. Damage to the basal ganglia, located in the midbrain, causes athetoid cerebral palsy.

    Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

    • Ataxic cerebral palsy, caused by damage to the brain's cerebellum, accounts for only 5 percent to 10 percent of all cerebral palsy cases, according to Cerebral Palsy Source. Damage to the cerebellum, which controls balance and coordination, causes coordination troubles and poor balance. Another problematic symptom of ataxic cerbral palsy is tremors. For example, tremors may make the task of picking up a piece of food complex. Ataxic cerebral palsy treatment may include medications such as primidone and benzodiazepine to reduce symptoms.

    Considerations

    • To create detailed diagnoses of cerebral palsy, doctors combine movement classifications with limb classifications. For instance, a doctor would classify a case of cerebral palsy causing involuntary movement equally in all four limbs as ataxic quadriplegia.

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