CEREBRAL PALSY
Cerebral Palsy
is a group of disorders that affect the control of movement. Brain
damage and/or incorrect development of the brain can cause cerebral
palsy. There are two forms: acquired (after birth) or congenital
(present at birth).
Cerebral Palsy is a
broad term that describes a group of neurological (brain) disorders.
Cerebral Palsy is a life-long condition that affects the communication
between the brain and the muscles, causing a permanent state of
uncoordinated movement and posturing. Cerebral Palsy is the result of
an episode that causes a lack of oxygen to the brain.
An individual with cerebral palsy may have difficulty with fine motor
tasks, such as writing or cutting with scissors; experience trouble
with maintaining balance and walking; or be affected by involuntary
movements, such as uncontrollable writhing motion of the hands or
drooling. The symptoms differ from one person to the next, and may even
change over time in the individual.
Many
people with cerebral palsy are also affected by other medical
disorders, including seizures or mental impairment. Unlike common
belief, cerebral palsy does not always cause profound handicap. While a
child with severe cerebral palsy might be unable to walk and need
extensive, lifelong care, a child with mild cerebral palsy might only
be slightly awkward and require no special assistance. Cerebral palsy
is not contagious nor is it usually inherited from one generation to
the next.
The life expectancy of a child
with Cerebral Palsy varies. The leading research indicates that most
people with Cerebral Palsy have a normal life expectancy. The main
factor is the quality of treatment the child receives which is obtained
outside of normal health insurance coverage. Parents will find that
their child's health insurance will run out after several years, as
health insurance policies are capped at a predetermined amount. Parents
can file a lawsuit to recover damages so that they will be able to
afford to care for their child.
Cerebral
Palsy is caused by either negligent prenatal care by a doctor, or by a
mistake in the delivery room. It is not caused by a disease, despite
what a physician may have told you.
Some common causes of Cerebral Palsy include:
- Failure to act on changes in the mother’s condition during pregnancy (accounts for 90% of Cerebral Palsy);
- Improper use of Pitocin (used to induce labor);
- Failure to interpret and respond to the changing conditions of the fetus during labor;
- Failure to order specific tests during pregnancy; and not interpreting these tests correctly;
- Failure to perform a c-section in the presence of fetal distress;
- Failure to deliver the infant when the membranes have been ruptured for too long; and
- Excessive use of vacuum extraction.
This birth injury is acquired during pregnancy around time of birth or
shortly after. Several factors can attribute to the brain damage and
onset of brain damage. Some causes of this brain damage may be:
- Stroke
- Bleeding
- Head injury
- Jaundice
- Brain infection
- Oxygen shortage
- Viral infections
There are many ways children can be affected by cerebral palsy. Symptoms such as
- Muscle tightness/spasticity
- involuntary movement
- speech impairments
- seizures
- difficult feeding
- irregular gait
- lack of bladder control
- breathing difficulty
- learning disabilities
can affect a child in very harmful ways. Keeping the mother healthy
during the pregnancy is the number one prevention to cerebral palsy.
Immunization is important for mothers along with staying away from
viruses and infections. X-rays and some medications are said to be
possibly harmful as well.
TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY:
» SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY
The
most common type of cerebral palsy, accounting for almost 79% of all
cerebral palsy cases. Children with this type of cerebral palsy have
one or more tight muscle groups which limit movement, and they have
rigid and jerky movements. These children may also have a hard time
grasping and letting go of objects. When both legs are affected
(spastic diplegia), a child may have difficulty walking because tight
muscles in the hips and legs cause legs to turn inward and cross at the
knees (called scissoring). In other cases, only one side of the body is
affected (spastic hemiplegia), often with the arm more severely
affected than the leg. Most severe is spastic quadriplegia, in which
all four limbs and the trunk are affected, often along with the muscles
controlling the mouth and tongue. Children with spastic quadriplegia
often have mental retardation and other problems.
» ATHETOID CEREBRAL PALSY
Almost 11% of children with cerebral palsy have athetoid cerebral
palsy, which is caused by damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia.
These areas of the brain are responsible for processing the signals
that enable smooth, coordinated movements as well as maintaining body
posture. It is characterized by fluctuations in muscle tone (varying
from too tight to too loose) and sometimes is associated with
uncontrolled movements (which can be slow and writhing or rapid and
jerky). Damage to these areas may cause a child to develop involuntary,
purposeless movements, which often interfere with speaking, feeding,
reaching, grasping, and other skills requiring coordinated movements.
» ATAXIC CEREBRAL PALSY
Almost
5% of children with cerebral palsy have ataxic cerebral palsy, which is
characterized by poor muscle tone and shaky movements. This rare form
of cerebral palsy affects the sense of balance and depth perception.
Affected persons often have poor coordination and walk unsteadily with
a wide based gait, placing their feet unusually far apart. Because of
the shaky movements and problems coordinating their muscles, children
with ataxic cerebral palsy may take longer than other children to
complete certain tasks such and writing a sentence.
» MIXED CEREBRAL PALSY
Almost
5% of children with cerebral palsy have what is known a mixed-type
cerebral palsy. These children have both the tight muscle tone of
spastic cerebral palsy and the involuntary movements of athetoid
cerebral palsy. This is because they have injuries to both the
pyramidal and extrapyramidal areas of the brain. Usually the spasticity
is more obvious at first, with involuntary movements increasing when
the child is between nine months and three years old.
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