Cerebral palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of chronic disorders that involve degrees of brain damage that affect body control and movement. The term cerebral refers to the brain, while palsy describes a disorder that impairs the control of body movement. These disorders are not the result of muscles or nerves problems. Instead, they are due to impaired motor areas in the brain that disrupt its ability to control movement and posture. The condition typically appears within the first few years of life and it is not marked by regression. (Mecham, 1986)

Cerebral Palsy can either be present before birth, can occur during the delivery process, or can even develop up to several years after a child is born. The disorder is most commonly diagnosed when a child is between four months and 2 years old. Occasionally, it does not appear until later in a child's development. The prenatal causes can include infections, anoxia, and metabolic disorders. The after delivery causes may include, anoxia, head trauma, asphyxia, premature birth, birth complications, or even really low birth weight. Acquired Cerebral Palsy causes may include, anoxia, infections, neoplasms of the brain such as tumors or cysts, and head traumas. (Cogher, Savage & Smith, 1992)

“There are between 500,000 and 700,000 Americans affected by cerebral palsy, with roughly 3,000 new cases diagnosed. Children with cerebral palsy will be affected by the condition in varying levels, depending on the severity of the case.” (Cogher, Savage & Smith 1992) There is still a lot of missing information regarding cerebral palsy and a way to cure children with cerebral palsy, but as more studies are performed hopefully the number of children with cerebral palsy can be reduced.

There are certain indicators that make the risk of diagnosing children with cerebral palsy greater. When parents believe the diagnoses of children with cerebral palsy was the result of medical mistakes, they are encouraged to contact an attorney. Many children with cerebral palsy may have the condition because of unknown reasons, but some children with cerebral palsy may be suffering because of errors made during delivery. (Cogher, Savage & Smith, 1992)

It is believed that oxygen cut off to the baby's brain at crucial points can cause children to have cerebral palsy. The way the condition affects children with cerebral palsy is des...

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...tive option. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a cylindrical one person chamber. The chamber's pressure slowly forces oxygen into the body's fluids and tissues, restoring circulation where blood flow was once reduced or blocked. Proponents contend that HBO therapy has helped affected children improve their speech, reduce spastic movements, increase cerebral blood flow, improved vision, hearing, and behavior, regenerate stroke-damaged brain tissue, and reduce or stop the incidence of seizure.

Finally, surgery is a last option. It is used in limited cases and is usually selected as a last resort. Surgery is often considered when cerebral palsy is severe enough to affect body movement. The idea behind the surgery is to lengthen the muscles and tendons that are proportionately too short. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine which muscle(s) is at fault since many muscles work in concert with one another. Lengthening the wrong muscle can worsen the problem. As well, lengthening a muscle also makes it weaker, usually requiring months of recovery. Other experimental surgical approaches are still controversial and are usually undergone with caution.