Brainpalsy.com - Helping Parents Combat Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is the name given to a group of disorders that result in physical disability. It is a “non-progressive” disorder, which means that a person who has cerebral palsy (or CP) will not continue to get worse throughout their lifetime. However, there is no cure for the initial damage CP has on the individual.

Cerebral Palsy is a condition affecting the brain, specifically, the cerebrum, and affects the movement of the affected individual by damaging the “motor control centers” of the brain. Typically, this damage occurs during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the first few years following childbirth (until around age three).

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

Although extensive research has been done over the years, the cause of many cerebral palsy cases is unknown. However, doctors and researchers have been able to identify several contributing factors.

Some factors that contribute to CP in infants and children include

· Asphyxia

· Hypoxia of the brain

· Premature birth

· Central nervous infections

· Infection in the mother before and during the birthing process

· Multiple births

In many instances, these conditions manifest together, as one of these situations can increase the likelihood of another. For example, studies estimate that between 40% and 50% of children who develop cerebral palsy were born prematurely. Because premature children do not have fully formed organs, they are more vulnerable to suffer from hypoxic injury to the brain-a contributing cause of CP.

Recently, researchers have stated that the leading cause of cerebral palsy in children is most likely infection in the mother. Studies show that infection can triple the chances of the child developing CP because cytokines, which are produced as a response to infection in the mother, can be toxic for the fetal brain.

Treatment Options

While there is no known cure for cerebral palsy, there are treatment options available that can help affected individuals function effectively. As with most illnesses and ailments, the earlier treatment begins, the greater the individuals’ recovery should be. Most often, treatment will include one or more of the following

· Physical therapy

· Occupational therapy

· Speech therapy

· Medication

· Hyperbaric oxygen

· Botox (to relax muscles)

· Surgery

· Braces, or other orthotic devices

· Communication aids

Interestingly, massage therapy and participation in hatha yoga have also been used in recent years, as massage therapy relaxes tense muscles and hatha yoga promotes healthy deep breathing (which can prevent lung infection). However, more research is necessary to determine the effectiveness of these treatment options in CP patients.

If you would like more information on the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for cerebral palsy, contact the Houston birth-injury lawyers of Williams Kherkher today.

Cerebral palsy is difficult to detect at birth. Two early indicators of cerebral palsy in infants are abnormal muscle tone or the tendency to favor one side of the body over the other. If your infant seems unusually floppy or limp it could be a sign of hypotonia, meaning reduced muscle tone. If your infant seems excessively rigid or unbendable it could be a sign of hypertonia, meaning increased muscle tone.

While typically an infant is affected with either hypertonia or hypotonia, sometimes an infant will endure an early bout of hypotonia only to progress to hypertonia after a few months. Other early symptoms of cerebral palsy in infants involve poor control over mouth muscles. Excessive vomiting, gagging or other feeding problems are sometimes lead to other more advanced cerebral palsy symptoms.

It is difficult to detect cerebral palsy until children start reaching development milestones. However, specific kinds of cerebral palsy do have some early indicators. For example, statistics show 70 % of cerebral palsy cases are of a specific type of the disorder called spastic. Early symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy include the drawing in of arms and legs or difficulty in straightening an infant’s limbs. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy, another type of the disorder, can cause infants to writhe involuntarily in an irregular motion.

What Developmental Milestones Should My Infant Reach at What Age?

An infant’s developmental milestones should be closely monitored. While all children develop differently, any deviation from typical development charts should alert a parent to a potential problem. A visit to the doctor will help determine whether a child’s developmental difficulties are a normal variation or an indicator of a developmental disorder.

Cerebral palsy symptoms typically begin to appear in 18 months, as children progress through typical developmental milestones. Infants with cerebral palsy generally show delays in mastering expected motor skills like rolling over, sitting up, smiling or crawling. Infants affected by cerebral palsy are slow to master these skills because of motor impairments. Experts believe the majority of children should reach certain developmental milestones by certain ages.

Physical Milestones

* Brings hands together - 4 months

* Sits with out support - 6 months

* Crawls - 9 months

* Feeds self with fingers - 9 months

* Hold bottle without a assistance - 12 months

* Walks unassisted - between 12-15 months

* Walks up and down stairs - 24 months

Verbal Milestones

* Localize a sound to the right or left side and turn head towards it - 1 month

* Smile spontaneously - 1 month

* Imitate speech sounds and babble - between 3 and 6 months

* Individual word comprehension - between 6 to 10 months

* Ability to say Mama and Dada - between 5-10 months.

If your infant is delayed in achieving any of these milestones you should contact a physician for further testing. While these symptoms do not mean your infant has cerebral palsy, take your child to a qualified physician for testing. The earlier an infant is diagnosed with cerebral palsy the sooner they can begin therapy for the disorder.

While cerebral palsy is incurable, many of the symptoms can be treated. However, because multiple parts of the body may be affected, treatment is usually complicated and involves a multi-disciplinary approach. The exact treatment that a cerebral palsy patient undergoes also depends on the type and severity of cerebral palsy, and the absence or presence of other linked conditions such as mental retardation, visual impairment or hearing impairment.

Typically, physical therapy is a central part of any cerebral palsy treatment regimen. If muscles are weak, they are exercised to prevent atrophy through lack of use. If muscles are spastic, they require treatment to prevent contracture or permanent and abnormal contraction that may result in significant mobility losses. Other forms of physical therapy aim to improve motor development and coordination. Behavioral and psychological therapy may also be required to teach coping skills and activities of daily living, as children with cerebral palsy grow older. Speech, vision and hearing impairments may require specific therapy by specialists to minimize or remove deficits.

Drugs are also used to treat cerebral palsy. For patients with spastic cerebral palsy, muscle-relaxing drugs may be prescribed, or injections of alcohol may be given to relax certain muscle groups temporarily. Patients with athetoid cerebral palsy may be given drugs that decrease involuntary writhing movements. Anti-seizure medications are given to patients who suffer from seizures.

Various types of surgery are used to treat cerebral palsy. There are several operations to lengthen muscles that are too short. Other operations reduce the amount of nerve impulses to certain muscles, thereby reducing spasticity in them. While some types of brain surgery and implants have also been tried to treat cerebral palsy, these forms of treatment have had mixed results. Specially designed orthopedic devices and other equipment also play a role in improving posture and mobility in patients with cerebral palsy.