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Spastic Cerebral Palsy-What you need to know

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy refers to a group of brain disorders that impair the control of movement. It is a non-progressive disorder that affects the normal motor functions of the brain and appears in the first few years of life. Patients suffering from cerebral palsy often show restricted motor skills, speech and learning disabilities. This disease is also characterized by motor dysfunction, paralysis and weakness.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy
can affect an infant in the mother's womb, during or after birth. It generally occurs due to brain damage. This damage could be due to a hemorrhage or some injury to the brain. Brain damage could also result from lack of oxygen. Premature newborns are at a greater risk of getting affected. Faulty development of the brain or malformation can cause cerebral palsy. Infections such as Encephalitis, Meningitis and intraventricular bleeding are also major causes.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is broadly of three main types, namely, Spastic, Athetoid, Ataxic and mixed cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type that affects children and accounts for 80 percent of the cerebral palsy cases. Tight muscle groups that limit movement characterize this type of cerebral palsy. Children suffering from this disorder often show jerky and rigid movements. They experience difficulty in changing their positions and in holding things. In this type of cerebral palsy, the gray matter and the cerebral cortex get damaged and lead to malfunctioning of muscles. The muscle dysfunction causes difficulty in the use of extremities. Spastic cerebral palsy is further of five types, based on the body part it affects. Spastic quadriplegia affects all the limbs and the entire trunk. Diplegia affects both legs or both hands and is the most common .In hemiplegia, only one side is affected. Triplegia affects three limbs and monoplegia affects one limb. These two are extremely rare. Facial areas can also be affected by spasticity.

Line of Treatment

Treatment for spastic cerebral palsy should focus on breaking the rigidity. If the treatment is not done in time, children may suffer from urinary incontinence and uncontrollable shaking. Exercises to maximize flexibility help reduce stiffness. Crawling as a physical therapy is highly efficient in increasing the weight bearing capacity of the limbs. It is very necessary to build self-esteem of the child for better progress.

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