Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of chronic disorders that involve degrees of brain damage that affect body control and movement. The term cerebral refers to the brain, while palsy describes a disorder that impairs the control of body movement. These disorders are not the result of muscles or nerves problems. Instead, they are due to impaired motor areas in the brain that disrupt its ability to control movement and posture. The condition typically appears within the first few years of life and it is not marked by regression. (Mecham, 1986)

Cerebral Palsy can either be present before birth, can occur during the delivery process, or can even develop up to several years after a child is born. The disorder is most commonly diagnosed when a child is between four months and 2 years old. Occasionally, it does not appear until later in a child's development. The prenatal causes can include infections, anoxia, and metabolic disorders. The after delivery causes may include, anoxia, head trauma, asphyxia, premature birth, birth complications, or even really low birth weight. Acquired Cerebral Palsy causes may include, anoxia, infections, neoplasms of the brain such as tumors or cysts, and head traumas. (Cogher, Savage & Smith, 1992)

"There are between 500,000 and 700,000 Americans affected by cerebral palsy, with roughly 3,000 new cases diagnosed. Children with cerebral palsy will be affected by the condition in varying levels, depending on the severity of the case." (Cogher, Savage & Smith 1992) There is still a lot of missing information regarding cerebral palsy and a way to cure children with cerebral palsy, but as more studies are performed hopefully the number of children with cerebral palsy can be reduced.

There are certain indicators that make the risk of diagnosing children with cerebral palsy greater. When parents believe the diagnoses of children with cerebral palsy was the result of medical mistakes, they are encouraged to contact an attorney. Many children with cerebral palsy may have the condition because of unknown reasons, but some children with cerebral palsy may be suffering because of errors made during delivery. (Cogher, Savage & Smith, 1992)

It is believed that oxygen cut off to the baby's brain at crucial points can cause children to have cerebral palsy. The way the condition affects children with cerebral palsy is described as unique from patient to patient. "Milder symptoms within children with cerebral palsy may appear in minimal awkwardness of hand control movement. More severe symptoms in children with cerebral palsy may result in basically no muscle control, greatly affecting their lives." (Cogher, Savage & Smith, 1992)

There are some individuals that suffer a mild cerebral palsy form. Many people do not know that mild cerebral palsy exists because the symptoms of this cerebral palsy form are subtler and mild cerebral palsy patients are able to lead "normal" lives. Since cerebral palsy is caused from brain damage, the severity of the cerebral palsy is dependent upon how much brain damage exists. With mild cerebral palsy, as the name indicates the damage suffered has been minimal.

Sometimes, mild cerebral palsy patients cause other disorders to occur. The way that these disorders affect the mild cerebral palsy individual can be mild or severe, requiring the mild cerebral palsy patient to need more treatment. Since every mild cerebral palsy patient is affected in his/her own way, developing an individualized mild cerebral palsy treatment plan is required.

There are many different types of cerebral palsy. "Types of cerebral palsy are classified by the type of movement problems caused by brain impairment, or by the parts of the body that are affected." (Mecham, 1986)

The four types of cerebral palsy that indicate motor disability include: spastic, ataxic, athetoid and mixed cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy causes movements to be stiff or difficult to execute. In these types of cerebral palsy the muscles may not be able to relax properly. In ataxic cerebral palsy, balance and coordinated movements are difficult to achieve. Depth perception problems are also common in these types of cerebral palsy cases. Athetoid cerebral palsy is classified as the inability to control muscle movements or involuntary muscle movement. Mixed cerebral palsy involves a combination of these conditions. (Cogher, Savage & Smith, 1992)

Quadriplegia is used to define the types of cerebral palsy that affect all four extremities and impair trunk and neck muscle movements. This is often the most severe form of cerebral palsy and is therefore usually the most debilitating. Children with quadriplegia combined with severe mental disability often have a lower survival rate than people with other types of cerebral palsy.

The types of cerebral palsy are classified in these ways to better facilitate communication about the ways that cerebral palsy can affect patients. Classifying the types of cerebral palsy makes diagnosis more definitive as well. The terms describing muscle impairment and the terms used to delineate the affected parts of the body are often coupled in diagnoses to describe how and where cerebral palsy disability resides in a patient.

There additional descriptive words used to indicate the severity of one's condition. The qualitative terms "mild", "moderate", and "severe" are used to describe the types of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy physiotherapy helps a patient with cerebral palsy improve their motor and movement skills. Cerebral palsy physiotherapy generally consists of a few types of physical therapy. Physical therapy helps a cerebral palsy physiotherapy patient to improve