Cerebral Palsy

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The term Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term that covers a range of movement problems; it isn't one disease or illness but a non-progressive, non-contagious neurological disorder that cause physical disability in human development, specifically the human movement and posture.

If the cause can be identified it is often due to the underdevelopment of a particular part of the brain that can have occurred before, during or after birth.

It can however in rarer cases be caused by a genetic issue.
The breakdown of cases is as follows:-

During pregnancy 75%
During childbirth 5%
After Childbirth 15%

The number of cases has not declined in over 60 years, with the rate being between 2 and 2.5 per 1000 live births.
Both sexes can be affected, and it usually happens before or just after birth.

The four types of Cerebral Palsy are:-

Spastic cerebral palsy, this is where the muscles are stiff and weak
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, this is where control of movement may be a problem
Ataxic cerebral palsy, which causes difficulties with balance and co-ordination
Mixed, where more than one area is affected
What causes Cerebral Palsy

The most common cause of Cerebral Palsy is medical mistakes, when a member of the medical staff makes a mistake during the delivery process.

Below are some of the causes why children are born with Cerebral Palsy:-

If a child is left in the birth canal too long and causing a lack of oxygen to the brain
Failure to recognize and treat seizures following delivery
A prolapsed cord (this is when the umbilical cord wraps around the child's neck, cutting off oxygen to the brain)
Excessive use of vacuum extraction, a plunger type instrument that attaches to the baby's head
Improper use of forceps
Failure to timely diagnose and treat jaundice
Failure to timely diagnose and treat meningitis
Failure to perform a caesarean section in the presence of fetal distress
Not identifying changes in the fetal heart rate and taking appropriate action
Failure to plan a c-section (a large birth weight infant could compromise a normal spontaneous vaginal delivery)
Failure to monitor mothers changing conditions, such as high blood pressure or toxemia and taking appropriate action
Occasionally the cause of cerebral can not be identified.

Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

People with Cerebral Palsy often have the following symptoms: -

Learning difficulties - hindering the childs development
Problems controlling and using muscles correctly, this can cause the child to find it difficult to walk, write, eat, talk and get dressed
Visual difficulties - Cerebral Palsy can cause problems with the eyesight, causing other issues related to visual impairment
Hearing problems - Cerebral Palsy can cause problems with hearing with a lot of Cerebral Palsy suffers having to use hearing aids
Problems with balance and co-ordination - Cerebral Palsy can cause problems with sitting straight, walking, hand co-ordination
Difficulty controlling and maintaining posture (they may need help to sit upright for example)

Treatment for Cerebral Palsy

At present there is no cure for cerebral palsy but the development of stem cell research offers some hope of a future treatment.

Although no cure is available there are plenty of treatments and therapies that can help people suffering from Cerebral Palsy, this can take the form of easing symptoms such as spasticity or improving communication skills, the main therapy's that help are physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Cerebral Palsy, then known as "Cerebral Paralysis", was first identified by English surgeon William Little in 1860

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