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What is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a medical condition that
affects control of the muscles. If someone has
cerebral palsy it means that because of an injury to
their brain, they are unable to use some of the
muscles in their body in the normal way. Children
who have cerebral palsy may not be able to walk,
talk, eat or play like other kids. CP is not a
disease or illness. It isn't contagious and it
doesn't get worse, but it is not something you "grow
out of.”
How is cerebral palsy caused?
Cerebral palsy is caused by an injury to the brain
before, during, or shortly after birth. Sometimes
injuries to a baby's brain happen while the baby is
still in the mother's womb. The injury might be
caused by an infection or by an accident in which
the mother is hurt. If the mother has a medical
problem such as high blood pressure or diabetes,
this can also cause problems in the baby. There may
be problems during birth such as the baby not
getting enough oxygen, or a difficult delivery in
which the baby's brain is injured. Problems after
birth may happen when a baby is born too soon
(premature delivery) and his body is not ready to
live outside his mother's womb. The most important
thing to remember is that you do not "catch" CP from
another person, and you do not develop CP later in
life. It is caused by an injury to the brain near
the time of birth.
What are the different types of CP?
Children with CP have damage to the area of their
brain that controls muscle tone. Depending on where
their brain injury is and how big it is, their
muscle tone may be too tight, too loose, or a
combination. Muscle tone is what lets us keep our
bodies in a certain position, like sitting with our
heads up to look at the teacher in class. Changes in
muscle tone let us move.
Children with CP are not able to change their muscle
tone in a smooth and even way, so their movements
may be jerky or wobbly. The different types of CP
are:
1.Spastic Cerebral Palsy
If muscle tone is too high or too tight, the
term spastic is used to describe the type of
cerebral palsy. Children with spastic CP have stiff
and jerky movements because their muscles are too
tight. They often have a hard time moving from one
position to another or letting go of something in
their hand. This is the most common type of CP.
About half of all people with CP have spastic CP.
2.Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Low muscle tone and poor coordination of movements
is described as ataxic CP. Kids with ataxic CP look
very unsteady and shaky. They have a lot of
shakiness, like a tremor you might have seen in a
very old person, especially when they are trying to
do something like write or turn a page or cut with
scissors. They also often have very poor balance and
may be very unsteady when they walk. Because of the
shaky movements and problems coordinating their
muscles, kids with ataxic CP may take longer to
finish writing or art projects.
3.Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
The term athetoid is used to describe the type
of cerebral palsy when muscle tone is mixed -
sometimes too high and sometimes too low. Children
with athetoid CP have trouble holding themselves in
an upright, steady position for sitting or walking,
and often show lots of movements of their face, arms
and upper body that they don't mean to make (random,
involuntary movements). These movements are usually
big. For some kids with athetoid CP, it takes a lot
of work and concentration to get their hand to a
certain spot (like to scratch their nose or reach
for a cup). Because of their mixed tone and trouble
keeping a position, they may not be able to hold
onto things (like a toothbrush or fork or pencil).
About one-fourth of all people with CP have athetoid
CP.
4.Mixed Cerebral Palsy
When muscle tone is too low in some muscles and too
high in other muscles, the type of cerebral palsy is
called mixed. About one-fourth of all people with CP
have mixed CP.
What are the problems associated with CP?
In addition to problems controlling their muscle
movement, children with CP may have some other
problems too. Most of these are caused by the same
brain injury that caused CP.
Talking and Eating
Just as CP can affect the way a person moves their
arms and legs, it can also affect the way they move
their mouth, face and head. This can make it hard
for the person to talk clearly and to bite, chew and
swallow food. Their speech is hard to understand,
they are unable to make their lips, jaw and tongue
move quickly.
Learning Problems
About one-fourth to one-half of children with CP
also have some type of learning problem. It may be a
learning disability or a more severe learning
problem like mental retardation in which they
learn everything at a slower rate. People with mild
mental retardation may learn to read and write but
people with more severe mental retardation probably
will not. This does not mean that children with
severe mental retardation cannot learn, just that
they learn at a slower pace than most other kids and
will need some extra help in school.
Seizures
About half of all children with CP have seizures.
This is due to some abnormal activity in their
brains that interrupts what they are doing. Often,
the abnormal brain activity happens in the same
place as the brain injury which caused the CP. The
brain is constantly sending messages out to the body
- to breathe, to move, to keep your heart pumping. A
seizure is a series of abnormal messages being sent
out very close together. This may cause someone to
stop moving during a seizure or to loose control of
his or her body and fall down. Some people show
shaking movements all over when they are having a
seizure. Seizures usually last a few seconds to a
few minutes, and in most case are not dangerous.
Medications are required for the management of
seizures.
What are the various types of therapy for CP?
Children with CP often go through different kinds of
therapy to help them improve their motor skills for
things like walking, talking and using their hands.
Some kids get therapy at school and some kids go to
a special clinic to see their therapists. Therapists
are special teachers who are trained to work with
people on learning better or easier ways to do
things. Therapists coach people to help them learn
and practice new skills.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists help children learn better ways
to move and balance. They may help children with CP
learn to walk, use their wheelchair, stand by
themselves, or go up and down stairs safely. Kids
may also work on fun skills like running, kicking
and throwing a ball, or learning to ride a bike.
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech therapists work with children on
communication skills like talking, using sign
language, or using a communication aid. Children who
are able to talk may work with a speech therapist on
making their speech clearer or on building their
language skills by learning new words, learning to
speak in sentences, or improving their listening
skills. Children who are not able to talk because of
their difficulty controlling the muscles needed for
speech may learn sign language or use some kind of
communication aid like a book, a poster or an
alphabet board. Computers that talk can also be used
as communication aids!
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists usually work with children
on better ways to use their arms, hands, and upper
body. They may teach children better or easier
ways to write, draw, brush their teeth, dress and
feed themselves, or control their wheelchair.
Occupational therapists also help children find the
right special
equipment to make some everyday tasks easier.
Recreational Therapy
Recreational therapists help kids with CP have fun.
They work with children on sports skills or other
leisure activities. In recreational therapy kids may
work on dance, swimming or horseback riding. They
may also work on art or horticulture or almost any
other hobby they are interested in.
What
management strategies one should adopt after
diagnosing a child as CP
A child with CP requires a multidisciplinary
approach since the problems are at various levels.
Following therapeutic modes are recommended.
·
Medical intervention – Homoeopathy
·
Physiotherapy
·
Occupational therapy
·
Counselling
·
Special education
·
Speech therapy
·
Yoga
·
Surgical intervention where ever necessary |
