What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy is the most common neurological disorder seen in childhood. It is a group of permanent disorders of the development of the movement and posture due to damage to the brain or abnormalities inside the brain which cause lifetime activity limitation. Simply it means loss or impairment of motor functions because of a problem occurred in the brain.
Cerebral palsy damage the outer area of the brain (cerebral cortex) which control the muscle movements. This damage may happen because the cortex hasn’t developed normally during fetal growth or it may be due to injury to the brain either before, during or after birth. This damage is not repairable so the disabilities that result are permanent.
Cerebral palsy can affect the whole body or it may be one side of the body or sometimes primarily one limb of the body.
Children with cerebral palsy present a wide range of symptoms.
Lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements.
Stiff or tight muscles and exaggerated reflexes.
Weakness in one or more arm or leg
Gait variations like walking on toes, a crouched gait, or a ‘sissored’ gait (gait with knee crossing) or an asymmetrical gait.
Variations in muscle tone (either too stiff or too floppy).
Shaking or random involuntary movement
Delays in reaching motor milestones such as sitting up or crawling.
Difficulty in fine movements like writing or buttoning.
Problems with swallowing.
Those symptoms and the severity of the symptoms vary greatly from child to another depending on the part of the brain affected, but every child with cerebral palsy has problems with movement and posture. Symptoms may even change in an individual over time. When a child gets older, some symptoms become more or less apparent. Especially muscle shortening and muscle rigidity can worsen if not treated.
What are the early signs of cerebral palsy?
Early signs of cerebral palsy usually appear in the early months of life but may not diagnosed until age 2 or later.
These children have a developmental delay in which they are slow to reach developmental milestones such as learning to roll over, sit, crawl or walk. Infants with cerebral palsy have abnormal muscle tone. Increased muscle tone (hypertonia) make them seem stiff and decreased muscle tone (hypotonia) make them appear relaxed. In some cases, hypotonia may progress to hypertonia after first 2, 3 months. Children with cerebral palsy also have unusual posture or favour one side of the body, such as reaching with one hand or dragging leg while crawling.
🔘 Some early warning signs:
In a baby younger than 6 months age
Head lags when you are trying to lift the baby from lying on the back.
Baby feels too stiff or feels floppy.
Legs get stiff and they cross or scissor when you pick up the baby.
In a baby older than 6 months age
Baby doesn’t roll over in either direction.
Baby can’t bring hands together and difficulty in bringing a hand to mouth.
Baby reaches out with only one hand while keeping the other fisted.
In a baby older than 10 months
Baby crawls in a lopsided manner, pushing off with one hand and leg while dragging the opposite hand and leg.
Baby can’t stand holding onto the support
If you notice any of these signs in your baby, you should seek health advice.
Even though cerebral palsy can’t be cured, proper management can deal with symptoms, prevent problems and make the most of the child’s abilities. Physiotherapy is one of the most important treatments in managing a child with cerebral palsy. Medicines, surgeries, special equipment such as walkers, the orthosis can also help.
Physiotherapy management help to increase a child’s strength, flexibility, motor development, mobility and restore physical, psychological and social wellbeing of the child.
Upeksha Madhushani
References
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/patient-caregiver-education/hope-through-research/cerebral-palsy-hope-through-research
https://www.cerebralpalsy.org/about-cerebral-palsy/definition
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