What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy, often abbreviated as CP, is a neurological condition which can appear in the forms of posture, muscular tone, and/or movement disorder. It is the consequence of either fetal brain injury or another developmental disorder that impacts brain development. Symptoms of CP first appear during early childhood, and they can differ widely from person to person.

The main effect of cerebral palsy is that it damages the control of muscles; these diseases are called movement disorders. Although that isn't always the case, it might also have an impact on adjacent brain regions and the functions they regulate. A person does not necessarily have an intellectual handicap just because they have cerebral palsy.

What are the types of cerebral palsy?

There are three main categories of CP:

• Spastic: This type includes spasms and stiffness in the muscles.
• Dyskinetic: This type includes difficulties in controlling muscles.

Features of both the dyskinetic and spastic types are present in the mixed type.

Experts also classify CP subtypes based on patterns that indicate which body parts are most affected. These categories are:

• Diplegic means that your arms are more affected than your legs.
• Quadriplegic, meaning that all of your limbs are affected.
• Hemiplegia means that one half of the body (the left or right) is more affected than the other.
• Monoplegia, in which one limb is affected.
• Paraplegia, in which your legs are affected.

What are the symptoms of cerebral palsy?

The symptoms and signs of cerebral palsy may vary as well. While some affect movement, others affect particular body parts, appearance, and behavior.

There are few examples of non-movement symptoms and signs which include:

• Head size differences: This includes unusually small head (microcephaly) or extremely large head (macrocephaly).
• Irritability: Infants with CP might be irritable at times, making them fussy.
• Lack of interaction: The babies and children with CP might not respond to other people who surround them.
• Hypotonia: This is a lack of muscle tone, which gives affected body parts a "floppy" appearance (this usually happens early on and later becomes spasticity or dystonia).

Delayed development: Most children with CP have some delayed developmental milestones. Many of these are movement related but may involve other skills, too.

Cerebral palsy-specific movement symptoms include, among others:

• Your arms and legs are stiff, making it hard to bend or use them (spasticity).
• Erratic motions.
• Motions that seem to be slow, writhing, or twisting.
• Motions that seem like you are dancing, flinging, hurling, or squirming.
• You may hold a painful or uncomfortable posture (dystonia) due to spasms or contractions.

What causes cerebral palsy?

The areas of the brain that regulate motor performance can be harmed by several traumas, including:

• The most frequent cause is preterm birth.
• Shaken baby syndrome is among the head injuries.
• Brain or spinal cord infections
• Events that prevent blood flow to the brain, such strokes; obstructed oxygen flow to the brain, like in near-drowning episodes
• Undernourishment
• Ingestion of heavy metals

What are the risk factors for cerebral palsy?

There are certain factors or conditions that can lead to cerebral palsy or contribute to its development. These include:

• Preterm birth (the highest risk is linked with babies born before 28 weeks of gestation).
• Birth weight under 1.5 kg, or 3.3 pounds.
• Use of substances during pregnancy.
• Preeclampsia and other conditions of pregnancy.
• More than one baby, for example, triplets or twins.
• Infections involving the amniotic fluid or placenta.

What are the complications of cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy often coexists with other conditions that affect the functioning of the brain. These other conditions can also be a result of the same injury that resulted in CP.

Some conditions that often coexist with or result from CP include:

• Epilepsy and seizures.
• Impairment of the intellect.
• Circumstances that impair your communication skills.
• Issues with hearing and vision.
• Muscle and bone health.
• Feeding problems.
• Behaviour Disorders.

How is a cerebral palsy diagnosed?

A medical professional, with the help of various techniques and resources, can diagnose cerebral palsy. Most people do not know the early warning signs for cerebral palsy. However, these are typically found by a medical professional, during your child's regular check-ups with their pediatrician.

Although a healthcare professional may suspect cerebral palsy (CP) before the child is 12 months old, they often wait until the child is 18 to 24 months old to formally diagnose the condition. A healthcare professional can use a physical and neurological examination, specific assessment checklists, imaging scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose cerebral palsy (CP). Your baby might need further testing if they have other symptoms. Your baby's doctor can explain the tests they suggest and why they are required.

What is the treatment for cerebral palsy?

While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, there are many therapeutic treatments that can assist in alleviating its associated problems.

• Baclofen: Baclofen is a muscle relaxant that can be given orally or through a surgically implanted baclofen pump in the abdomen, which will dispense the medication directly into the cerebrospinal fluid in the spine.
• Therapeutic electrical stimulation: One type of electrical stimulation that enhances blood flow to weak muscles is called therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES).
• Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy(SDR): This is a surgical treatment that involves the severing of some of the lumbar and sacral sensory nerve fibres, which are part of the nerves emerging from the muscles to the spinal cord. The treatment can reduce spasticity if applied with an aggressive postoperative course of physical therapy.

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for cerebral palsy?

Tender Palm Hospital, owned by doctors, is renowned for attracting the most experienced professional in the country, with the finest neurologist and neurosurgeons specialized in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). Tender Palm stands out as the premier Neurology hospital in Lucknow, India. Boasting cutting-edge infrastructure and advanced technology, Tender Palm ensures top-notch medical care for its patients.

To seek an expert consultation for any Neurology condition

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Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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