Cerebral Palsy, What Is It?

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a form of brain damage that affects thousands of newborn children around the world every year. With no definitive cure known as of yet, people who have CP tend to suffer its effects for their entire lives. It is caused by damage to the motor control centers inside the brain. There are several types of CP that occur during pregnancy, childbirth and up to three years of age. Among them is spastic cerebral palsy. It is the most common form and contributes to over seventy percent of CP cases.

The treatment for individuals affected with the spastic form of cerebral palsy involves a combination of physical therapy and surgery. The muscles as well as the joints are exercised to stop them from falling into a state of immobility. When muscles and joints, which have not been exercised, are combined with abnormal and poor posture, there is a great tendency for the muscles to begin to shorten, resulting in limited flexibility and movements.

Therapists normally use muscle-relaxing substances like botulism toxins during treatment for the spastic form of cerebral palsy. It is injected into a certain group of muscles being prepared for surgery or physical therapy. If further mobility and flexibility are still not achieved during a particular therapy session, then decompression of a patient's spinal cord and nerves will need to be performed in order to decrease the transmission of nerve impulses on particular muscles; thereby relaxing them. Sometimes, orthopedic devices are used to help keep the limbs in their proper position and enhance movement.

Permanent disabilities can result if spastic CP is not treated in a timely fashion. Debilitating loss of bladder control, uncontrollable shaking and permanent contraction of the hands can result if treatment is delayed or denied. Treatment really depends on the level of severity of the condition in a particular person. Some individuals with the spastic form of cerebral palsy have mild symptoms, while others need a more intensive treatment program for severe symptoms.

You may have heard of cerebral palsy but where unsure about its symptoms or what causes it to happen. Children with cerebral palsy may not have across the board symptoms, so the condition is broken down into three different types of cerebral palsy. Each type exhibits its own set of unique symptoms. They are athetoid, spastic and ataxic. Symptoms of cerebral palsy in children can sometimes be hard to spot until the child has reached age three. When developmental milestones are not met, doctors and parents begin to question what is going on and that is usually when the diagnosis is made.

Cerebral means brain, and palsy means any disorder of posture or movement. When you combine the two words, cerebral palsy, you get a disorder of posture or movement originating from damage to the brain. From the first stages of development in the womb until the age of three years old, the brain undergoes rapid developmental changes. Since cerebral palsy is a disorder that occurs during development, once a child has moved passed those early days of development, the condition does not develop. Children with cerebral palsy will exhibit symptoms of the condition before they reach age three.

Now that you know what cerebral palsy is, you can more fully understand how difficult it is for children with cerebral palsy to live with it. There is still no definitive cure for this condition, yet scientists and researchers have found many possible ways to prevent cerebral palsy from happening in the first place. Giving immunizations and making sure a pregnant woman receives enough folate are just a couple of ways that have been found to possibly prevent cerebral palsy in children.