Cerebral Palsy

In the 1860s, an English surgeon named William Little wrote the first medical descriptions of a puzzling disorder that struck children in the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and, in their arms. The disorder, which was called Little's disease for many years, is now known as Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or childhood and permanently affect the body movement and muscle coordination but does not worsen over time. The three types of Cerebral Palsy are Spastic, Athetoid, and Ataxic. Spastic Cerebral Palsy is stiffness and movement disabilities. Athetoid Cerebral Palsy leads to involuntary and uncontrolled movements. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy is a disturbed since of balance and depth perception. Most people think that Cerebral Palsy is caused by problems in the muscles but they are wrong. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that controls the movement of your muscles. In most cases of Cerebral Palsy the child is born with it but sometimes it won’t be detected until months or years later. There are a small number of children that get Cerebral Palsy from brain damage including child abuse, a fall, a motor vehicle accident, viral encephalitis, or bacterial meningitis. Early signs of Cerebral Palsy usually happen before the age of three. Some signs are lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements, stiff or tight muscles, walking with one foot or leg dragging, walking on toes, and muscle tone that is too stiff or too floppy. One important cause is an insufficient amount of oxygen reaching the fetal or newborn brain. Oxygen supply can be interrupted by premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, awkward birth position of the baby, labor that is too long or too abrupt, or interference with circulation in the umbilical cord. Premature birth, low birth weight, RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between mother and infant, infection of the mother with German measles or other virus diseases in early pregnancy, and microorganisms that attack the infant's central nervous system also are risk factors for cerebral palsy.
Cerebral Palsy can be diagnosed very early in a baby due to premature birth or other health problems. Doctors like to follow these children closely from birth so they can identify any problems with muscle functions. In some cases it may be very difficult to diagnose a child with Cerebral Palsy within the first year of life. The doctors have to wait until they see a delay in normal developmental milestones, such as reaching for toys or sitting up. If the developmental milestones are mildly delayed they might not be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy until they are a toddler. Parents who are concerned about their baby's development for any reason should contact their pediatrician. A doctor can determine the difference between a normal lag in development and a delay that could indicate cerebral palsy.
There is treatment for Cerebral Palsy but it can not but fully cured. However, secondary conditions can develop which may get better over time, get worse, or remain the same. If you have Cerebral Palsy you can go through therapy, surgeries, or take medical drugs in some cases to help out. Some patients take drugs to relax muscle spasms, control seizures, and take away pain. Some patients have surgery to release tight muscles or correct anatomical abnormalities. Some patients with Cerebral Palsy will also go through speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling and behavioral therapy, and or braces and other orthotic devices. Depending on how severe the case of Cerebral palsy will depend on how sever the treatment will be, because on kid with Cerebral Palsy could just mildly walk awkward when another kid with Cerebral Palsy could not even be able to walk or talk and will need assistance with both. There are