Cerebral palsy is a term doctors use to describe a group of neurological illnesses that emerge in infancy or early childhood and impede bodily movement and muscle coordination permanently but are not progressive, meaning they do not get worse over time.
- The motor portion of the brain’s outer layer (called the cerebral cortex), which directs muscle action, is referred to as cerebral.
- The loss or impairment of motor function is referred to as palsy.
Cerebral palsy is not caused by muscle or nerve disorders but affects muscle mobility. It’s caused by brain disorders that wreak havoc on the brain’s ability to regulate movement and posture.
The cerebral motor cortex did not develop normally during fetal development in some cases of cerebral palsy. In certain cases, the impairment is caused by a brain injury that occurred before, during, or after delivery. In either situation, the damage is irreversible, and the resulting disabilities are permanent.
Patients with cerebral palsy exhibit a wide variety of symptoms, including:
- Ataxia refers to a lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary motions.
- Spasticity is characterized by stiff or tight muscles and excessive reflexes.
- Walking with one foot on the ground or dragging one leg;
- Walking on your toes, crouching, or “scissoring” your gait;
- Muscle tone that is either too stiff or too loose;
- Drooling excessively or having difficulty swallowing or speaking;
- Tremor (shaking) or uncontrollable motions; and
- Precision motions, such as writing or buttoning a shirt, are difficult.
Cerebral palsy symptoms vary in kind and severity from one person to the next and they can even alter over time in an individual. Other medical issues that some people with cerebral palsy have include mental impairment, seizures, poor vision or hearing, and odd physical feelings or perceptions.
Cerebral palsy does not necessarily result in significant impairment. While a patient with severe cerebral palsy may be unable to walk and require lifelong care, a patient with mild cerebral palsy may be only slightly awkward and require no particular assistance.
Cerebral palsy is a condition rather than a disease. It is not contagious and cannot be handed down through generations. Cerebral palsy has no cure, however, supportive treatments, drugs, and surgery can help many people improve their motor abilities and capacity to communicate with others.
What are the Early Signs?
- They usually appear before a youngster turns three years old.
- Parents are frequently the first to notice that their child’s motor abilities are not developing as expected.
- Infants with cerebral palsy usually experience developmental delay, which means they take longer to learn to roll over, sit, crawl, smile, or walk than other children.
- As babies, some children with cerebral palsy have aberrant muscular tones.
- Muscle tone loss (hypotonia) can make them appear floppy and loose.
- Hypertonia (increased muscular tone) can make them appear stiff or inflexible.
- After the first 2 to 3 months of life, a phase of hypotonia may evolve to hypertonia in some situations.
- Cerebral palsy patients may also have atypical posture or favor one side of the body.
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