CEREBRAL PALSY

Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy

Introduction

The term cerebral palsy (CP) is not so much a diagnosis as it is a description of conditions that affect movement and muscle coordination. Specific areas of the brain, such as the cerebrum and connections between the cortex and cerebellum, are affected, usually during fetal development, the perinatal period, or infancy (Stanton, 2002). CP affects each person differently. Some individuals with CP have normal cognition and are able to function well in their everyday lives with minimal support. Others have severe to profound cognitive and physical disabilities and will require total care for their entire lives. Still others with profound physical disabilities may not have any cognitive delays. Much depends on the exact cause of the injury, the size of the injury, and the area of the brain where the injury occurred. Any part of the body that functions in movement and/or muscle coordination can be affected.

Four types of CP have been described: athetoid, ataxic, spastic, and mixed. The most common type is spastic diplegia, which involves muscle spasticity in the lower extremities causing difficulty in movement. Individuals may or may not be able to walk. However, spasticity is not always limited to the lower extremities (Geralis, 1998). Other individuals may have spastic quadriplegia, which involves all four extremities, or monoplegia, which affects a single spastic extremity. Those individuals with athetoid CP have random movements of all extremities and have very little control over their gross motor abilities.

Characteristics

These are some of the characteristics of Cerebral Palsy (Pharoah et al, 1989):

First, the disorders are caused by brain injury (brain) that interferes with normal development. It occurs in the first year of life, or even in the period of gestation, and can occur up to five years.

It is distinguished by the dominant damage motor functions, which affects the tone, posture and movement.

Finally, there is a widespread notion that the injury is not evolutionary but its consequences can vary in the child. Motor disorders affecting the majority of cases damages organs and hinder the development of eating and speaking.

Cerebral palsy is a group of motor disorders by an alteration in the control of movement and posture caused by a brain injury in the immature brain (from the prenatal development at 5 years of age).

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

The causes of cerebral palsy depend and vary from case to case, therefore cannot be attributed to a single factor. Although all developed as a common determinant, poor central nervous system maturation (Miller & Bachrach, 1995). Cerebral palsy can occur in both the prenatal and postnatal, taking the limit of expression after the first five years of life. Prenatal factors that are related are maternal infections (mainly rubella), radiation, anoxia (oxygen deficiency), toxemia and maternal diabetes (Arens & Molteno, 1989).

In the prenatal period, the injury is caused during pregnancy and adverse conditions may influence the mother during pregnancy. Often results in 35% of cases.

In the perinatal period, the lesions tend to occur at the time of delivery. Cause 55% of cases, and the most common causes ...