Cerebral palsy: know the basics

Cerebral palsy encompasses several neurological problems caused by prenatal or early childhood brain damage. Cerebral palsy is often mistaken as a single health issue; rather, the term is used to describe several non-progressive conditions that cause developmental disabilities. The brain damage that causes cerebral palsy often happens during pregnancy or childbirth. Children can also develop cerebral palsy up until the age of 3, medical researchers believe. People who are diagnosed with cerebral palsy must learn to cope with the disease. There is no known cure for cerebral palsy.

People who have cerebral palsy often have problems with movement, rendering them unable to perform the same level of activities as their peers. Cerebral palsy patients may also have poor posture and musculoskeletal problems. The disease can affect the nervous system too; patients may feel phantom sensations and have false perceptions. Cerebral palsy can also affect a person’s behavior and communication skills.

Types of cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is often categorized as one of three types. These types include spastic, ataxic and athetoid or dyskinetic. The designation of a patient’s cerebral palsy depends on which part of the person’s brain suffered damage.

• Spastic Cerebral Palsy: Most cases of cerebral palsy fall into this category. Damage to the nerve system causes people with this condition to have hypertonia, a dysfunction marked by extreme stiffness in the muscles. People with spastic cerebral palsy also tend to have neuromuscular junction, a condition that causes the muscles to contract.

• Ataxic Cerebral Palsy: This type of cerebral palsy is marked by damage to the cerebellum, the region of the brain that is crucial in controlling perception, motor control and coordination. People with ataxic cerebral palsy often suffer from tremors and have low muscle tone. Activities that require balance, such as walking, are often difficult for patients with this condition. Ataxic cerebral palsy can also make it difficult for people to write, type or do other things that require significant hand and eye coordination.

• Athetoid or dyskinetic: People with this type of cerebral palsy have mixed muscle tone. With some parts of the body abnormally tighter than other parts, this condition causes extreme difficulty when patients perform even basic tasks. Standing upright is made difficult by massive muscle tensions. Many people with this kind of cerebral palsy may even have trouble moving their arms or hands to touch certain points.

Is cerebral palsy common?

The chance of a child being diagnosed with cerebral palsy is extremely low. Research has shown only two of every 1,000 children born will have the disease. Men are slightly more likely to develop cerebral palsy than women. The symptoms of cerebral palsy are often more severe early in life, but treatment is available to reduce and eliminate many symptoms, helping patients live nearly normal lives as they grow older.