Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy Treatment

Although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, the condition can be managed through a variety of therapies to help the child reach their maximum potential in growth and development. Even though there is still not a lot known about the origin and causes of cerebral palsy since its first documentation in 1861 by Dr. William Little, new treatments for cerebral palsy continue to break new ground and offer hope to the patients and families of this condition. One of the new treatments for cerebral palsy is selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR). SDR is the only surgical procedure that can provide permanent reduction of spasticity in cerebral palsy. During the operation, the neurosurgeon divides each of the dorsal roots in the spine into 3-5 rootlets and stimulates each root electronically. By examining the electrical responses from muscles in the lower extremities, they can identify the rootlets that cause spasticity. The abnormal rootlets are cut, leaving the normal rootlets in tact. This reduces messages to the muscles, resulting in better balance of activities of nerve cells in the spinal cord, and reducing spasticity. The advantages of SDR over other new treatments of cerebral palsy can be significant. There is a reduced risk … Continue reading →

Treating cerebral palsy There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but a range of treatments are available to help treat many of the symptoms. Treatment for cerebral palsy will usually involve a team of health professionals with different areas of expertise.The team may include: The care team will help draw up an individual care plan to address any needs or problems your child has. The plan will be continually reassessed as your child gets older and their needs change. You and your child will also be assigned a key worker, who will be the first point of contact between you and the various support services available. When your child is young, the key worker is likely to be a health visitor. As your child gets older and their needs become more complex, the key worker is likely to be a social worker. There is no single treatment plan for a child with cerebral palsy. Instead, there are a wide range of treatments available, which are designed to improve your child's symptoms and let them be as independent as possible. Some of the main treatments are outlined below. Physiotherapyis normally started when your child is diagnosed with cerebral palsy. It is … Continue reading →

Cerebral palsy refers to a group of conditions that affect control of movement and posture. Because of damage to areas of the brain that control movement, an affected child cannot move his or her muscles normally. While symptoms range from mild to severe, the condition does not get worse as the child gets older. With treatment, most children can significantly improve their abilities. Many children with cerebral palsy have other problems that require treatment. These include mental retardation, learning disabilities, seizures, vision, hearing and speech problems. Cerebral palsy usually is not diagnosed until a child is about 2 to 3 years of age. Approximately 2 to 3 children in 1,000 over the age of three have cerebral palsy. About 500,000 children and adults of all ages in this country have cerebral palsy. There are three major types of cerebral palsy, and some individuals may have symptoms of more than one type. About 70 to 80 percent of affected individuals have spastic cerebral palsy, in which muscles are stiff, makingmovement difficult. When both legs are affected (spastic diplegia), a child may have difficulty walking because tight muscles in thehips and legs cause legs to turn inward and cross at the knees … Continue reading →

What other conditions are associated with cerebral palsy? Since cerebral palsy is indicative of damage to or malformation of the brain, it stands to reason that other symptoms that are associated with brain dysfunction can be present in children afflicted with cerebral palsy. In fact other disorders, besides the motor dysfunctions already described, are almost always seen in these patients. Some of them such as poor speech, swallowing disorders, drooling, and poor fine or gross motor coordination are the result of the motor disorder affecting specific muscles involved in those functions. Other conditions are the results of simultaneous injuries in areas of the brain besides the motor areas. Cognitive disabilities, sometimes referred to as developmental delay, are often associated with cerebral palsy. Up to half of patients with cerebral palsy have cognitive disabilities. However, many of these children can be educated and lead productive lives. It is also just as important to note that many children with severe motor impairment due to cerebral palsy, as is the case with many children with the choreoathetotic or the diplegic form of cerebral palsy, are only mildly or not at all intellectually impaired. Virtually all testing of a young child's cognitive development involves … Continue reading →

Overview Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders involving chronic impairment and control of bodily movement that usually first appear in the very young children. This disorder is caused by abnormal development or damage in one or more parts of the brain that control muscle tone and movement. Child with cerebral palsy has difficulty controlling and coordinating muscles. Very simple movements for that child are difficult. Other names for this disorder are a static encephalopathy, spastic diplegia, and "Littles disease,". It is caused by a permanent brain defect or an injury at birth or shortly thereafter. Causes of Cerebral palsy are birth complications, some compilcations during the pregnancy, and some complications after birth. In many cases, the exact cause of the Cerebral palsy is never known. There are four types of cerebral palsy - spastic cerebral palsy, athetoid cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy, and mixed cerebral palsy. Early signs include the delayed milestones such as controlling head, rolling over, sitting without support, crawling, or walking. Symptoms of Cerebral palsy could include spasticity, poor muscle tone, uncontrolled movements, and problems with posture, balance, coordination, walking, speech, swallowing, seizures, breathing problems, mental retardation, learning disabilitiesskeletal deformities, eating difficulties, dental problems, bladder and … Continue reading →

Table of Contents Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a specific group of chronic conditions affecting body movements and muscle coordination. These conditions are all caused by the damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development, but it can also happen during the first few months after birth. The level of disorder ranges from mild to severe. Physical symptoms of cerebral palsy are weakness and floppiness of muscles or spasticity and rigidity in most cases, but it can also be accompanied with mental retardation or seizures. The worse thing about this condition is that it cannot be cured. Depending on what part of the brain is affected, a child might not be able to walk, talk, eat, or play. Brain is a large organ and almost any part of it can be affected and thus children may experience a wide variety of signs and symptoms, ranging from mild to severe. The most common are: There are three major types of cerebral palsy: Spastic cerebral palsy Most children with cerebral palsy have spastic cerebral palsy. This form of the condition causes muscles to stiffen, which makes movement difficult. It can affect both … Continue reading →

What are symptoms of Rigidity Cerebral Palsy? This disease is caused by the damaged extra-pyramidal system. At present, Rigidity Cerebral Palsy is rare in clinical, which often manifest with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Its prominent characteristic is that the passive movement is resistant. Then how to treat Rigidity Cerebral Palsy? The following are the symptoms of Rigidity Cerebral Palsy a. Passive movement is resistant. When the passive movement has resistance, the feeling likes lead tube or gear shape. For muscle tone evenly increasing, passive movement will bear same opposition and resistance, but which is mot different from the characteristics of Spastic Cerebral Palsy. In other words, no matter how to move the body, it represents the resistance of stretching and buckling. b. Tendon reflex have not hyperreflexia. As this disease mainly result from the damaged extra-pyramidal, tendon reflex is normal, no hyperreflexia or weakened. The patients have no ankle clonus and involuntary movement. By contrast, for Spastic Cerebral Palsy, tendon reflex is active and the patients suffer from ankle clonus, but without involuntary motion. c. The resistance of passive movement is maximum in the slowing-motion, which is differentiated from the biggest resistance of Spastic Cerebral Palsy in the active-motion. d. Limbs … Continue reading →

What Is Cerebral Palsy? Cerebral palsy (CP) is a broad term used to describe a group of chronic "palsies" -- disorders that impair control of movement due to damage to the developing brain. CP usually develops by age 2 or 3 and is a nonprogressive brain disorder, meaning the brain damage does not continue to worsen throughout life. However, the symptoms due to the brain damage often change over time -- sometimes getting better and sometimes getting worse. CP is one of the most common causes of chronic childhood disability. About 10,000 infants are diagnosed with CP and up to 1,500 preschoolers in the U.S. are recognized as having it each year. The United Cerebral Palsy Association estimates that more than 764,000 Americans have CP. Between 35% and 50% of all children with CP will have an accompanying seizure disorder and some level of mental retardation. They also may have learning disabilities and vision, speech, hearing, or language problems. Much remains unknown about the disorder's causes, but evidence supports theories that infections, birth injuries, and poor oxygen supply to the brain before, during, and immediately after birth result are common factors. Premature infants are particularly vulnerable. Severe illness (such as … Continue reading →

Story highlights Mother must complete "treatment" before she can be extradited, Maryland police say Mom told police son was with her in Maryland, but he was found Friday with blanket, Bible Victim being treated for malnutrition, dehydration; mother faces host of charges after extradition The Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Police took Nyia Parler, 41, into custody Sunday after Philadelphia police reported that she left her 21-year-old son lying in the woods with only a blanket and a Bible while she hopped a bus to see her boyfriend in Maryland. A man walking through the woods found him near his wheelchair Friday. Citing federal health care privacy laws, Montgomery County police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks said he could not divulge why Parler was receiving treatment, but he said she had to complete it before she could be extradited. If she chooses not to challenge her extradition, she will be transported to Philadelphia once the treatment is complete, he said. For more than four days, police say, the quadriplegic man, who also suffers from cerebral palsy, was left lying in the woods of Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek Park. Low temperatures reached the mid-30s during the week, and rain was reported in the … Continue reading →

Story highlights Mother must complete "treatment" before she can be extradited, Maryland police say Mom told police son was with her in Maryland, but he was found Friday with blanket, Bible Victim being treated for malnutrition, dehydration; mother faces host of charges after extradition The Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Police took Nyia Parler, 41, into custody Sunday after Philadelphia police reported that she left her 21-year-old son lying in the woods with only a blanket and a Bible while she hopped a bus to see her boyfriend in Maryland. A man walking through the woods found him near his wheelchair Friday. Citing federal health care privacy laws, Montgomery County police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks said he could not divulge why Parler was receiving treatment, but he said she had to complete it before she could be extradited. If she chooses not to challenge her extradition, she will be transported to Philadelphia once the treatment is complete, he said. For more than four days, police say, the quadriplegic man, who also suffers from cerebral palsy, was left lying in the woods of Philadelphia's Cobbs Creek Park. Low temperatures reached the mid-30s during the week, and rain was reported in the … Continue reading →