Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy Treatment

A little boy with cerebral palsy (CP) took his first steps at 6 years of age after having surgery to lengthen his Achilles tendons. Jack McNaughton and his parents, Stacy and Graham, traveled from the UK to Missouri so Jack could have the surgery. Jack has numerous muscle problems caused by cerebral palsy, including contractures. A contracture is a permanent shortening of a muscle that results in the loss of normal joint movement. Jack has spastic cerebral palsy, and his spastic muscles do not grow normally. The abnormal growth and lack of proper use has caused Jack to have the contractures. Jacks Achilles tendons were so short that he couldnt put his foot flat on the floor to walk. His Achilles problem alone caused Jack to use twice as much energy to move around. The contractures, along with other issues caused by the spastic cerebral palsy, have made it necessary for Jack to use a walker and crutches to move around. With aggressive physical therapy and the Achilles lengthening surgery, Stacy and Graham hope their son will learn to walk unaided. They have been working with their eager little boy, and a video of Jack taking his first steps has … Continue reading →

A CHANCE meeting with two-year-old girl with cerebral palsy has inspired Elizabeth Addie and her dog Tum Tum to take up a challenge. The Middle Ridge resident with her king charles cavalier spaniel dog has embarked on the STEPtember challenge, for which she walks 10,000 steps a day while fundraising and raising awareness for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Ms Addie met the little girl while undertaking hydrotherapy treatment for a broken arm at the Milne Bay pool. "It was difficult to hear that at birth, this delightful little girl had received a poor prognosis," Ms Addie said. >>Games of Thrones character to be resurrected? (Spoilers) >>Former Home and Away star Tessa James diagnosed with cancer "But her mum described how early intervention services and therapy had lead to her daughter reaching milestones she never thought possible." After that conversation, Ms Addie searched for more information when she got home and came across the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. "There was a pop-up on the webpage calling for people to take part in a fundraiser, and I signed up," she said. Since September 3, Ms Addie and Tum Tum have walked an average of 10,300 steps each day - well above the campaign's … Continue reading →

Patna, Sep 19: The poor parents of a Bihar woman who is suffering from a debilitating disease have urged President Pranab Mukherjee to either pay for their daughter's medical treatment or permit mercy killing. Pinki, 29, has been suffering from cerebral palsy -- a disorder that causes physical disability -- since she was four years old. The parents say they can no longer pay for the medical expenses nor can see their daughter in pain. "We cannot watch her in so much pain anymore. Please allow her mercy killing or provide her medical help because we cannot afford it any longer as we are poor," Pinki's father Kishori Sao, a resident of Mor village in Patna district, said here Friday. "We have already spent whatever we had for her treatment, but she not showing any sign of improvement," the father added. Sao says he has no option other than seeking the mercy killing of her daughter. Pinki's mother Rukmani Devi said her daughter is suffering from the rare disease for the last 25 years. "We have consulted doctors, ayurvedic practitioners, quacks as well as priests for her treatment but failed. Even visiting temples, churches and gurdawaras has yielded no results," … Continue reading →

TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Although magnesium sulfate is routinely given to pregnant women at risk for very preterm delivery, new research suggests it won't provide any long-term benefits for infants. After analyzing the effects of magnesium sulfate given to pregnant women, researchers in Australia found it had no benefit on brain, behavioral, growth or functional outcomes among those children when they were assessed at between 6 and 11 years old. The new findings don't negate the fact that the drug is helpful in preventing cerebral palsy in infants, the researchers pointed out in the study, published in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Infants born before the 28th week of pregnancy are at greater risk for long-term neurological problems than full-term babies, according to a journal news release. Magnesium sulfate is used to protect the brains of preterm infants. It's also given to pregnant women at high risk for premature delivery to reduce their child's risk of cerebral palsy. In conducting the study, Dr. Lex Doyle of the University of Melbourne, and colleagues, randomly assigned pregnant women to receive magnesium sulfate or a placebo. A total of 535 women were given … Continue reading →

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - Saturday afternoon community leaders, educators and advocates came together to host a special needs health fair in Lufkin. Five-year-old Jade Whitley suffers from spastic cerebral palsy, a condition that impairs muscle coordination. Jade's adoptive parents strive everyday to make her feel like everyone else but Jade can tell the difference. Why do I always have to be last?, said Jade. Maxwell Whitley Jades father said, it breaks his heart every time he hears these words. "There's a lot of money that is spent for all the children that can run,walk and play and there's a lot of children that can't do that," said Whitley. He said it's a struggle raising a child with special need in East Texas. There just isn't enough resources available. On top of that, he said that most people may not realize the struggle for families, and he understands, because he didn't know what was needed until his daughter started school. The ramps and the curbs, they don't have the entrance for them to get onto them and they don't have automatic doors, " Whitley said. Special need advocate Valli Cross understands the struggle and that's why she and others decided to … Continue reading →

Cerebral palsy is caused by brain injury or brain malformation that occurs before, during, or immediately after birth while the infants brain is under development. But how a brain injury affects a childs motor functioning and intellectual abilities is highly dependent on the nature of a brain injury, where the damage occurs, and how severe it is. The cause of cerebral palsy is a brain injury or brain malformation that occurs while the brain is developing before, during, or after birth. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a childs muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected. It can also impact a childs fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and oral motor functioning. Every case of cerebral palsy is unique to the individual. This is due in part by the type of injury, extent of injury, and the timing of injury to the developing brain. The brain damage that causes cerebral palsy is a result of either: The brain damage that causes motor impairment in cerebral palsy results from one of four types of brain injury or brain malformation. Lack of oxygen to the brain, asphyxia, or intrapartum asphyxia Learn more … Continue reading →

A LLYSFAEN boy who was unable to walk due to cerebral palsy and underwent life-changing surgery walked straight into school on his first day last week. Kyle Weaver, aged four, proudly strode into Ysgol Cynfran, after just last year undergoing a three-and-a-half-hour operation on his legs in Missouri, USA, which helped him onto his feet for the first time. His mother Sam and father Simon described it as an amazing moment. Mrs Weaver said: It was a massive thing for us. We never thought we'd see him walk in to school when we first had the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. I was anxious about it all over the summer, just thinking about it a lot. I even took a day off work just to make sure everything was ok and I was sitting at home thinking about him all day. But he was fine, he just walked straight into school and he enjoyed it. It was just lovely to see him in there, in his uniform - I was so proud. I definitely feel like hes in safe hands there. Link: Kyle Weaver walks into school after 'life-changing' surgery … Continue reading →

Brooklyn Fisher rolls down the ramp on the playground named for her in Pocatello, Idaho. The playground was built using accessible features so children of all abilities could play alongside each other. John W. Poole/NPR hide caption Brooklyn Fisher rolls down the ramp on the playground named for her in Pocatello, Idaho. The playground was built using accessible features so children of all abilities could play alongside each other. Janna Espinoza's daughter Coraline has hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays. Nearly 2 years old, she can't sit up, stand, creep or use her hands as a typically developing child does. Coraline is among an estimated 6.4 million children in the U.S. with a disability. And for these kids the simple ritual of playing outside can get very complicated. "My daughter can't do very much at a typical playground, except watch her older sister play," says Espinoza. "Playgrounds are a depressing place for us." On a typical playground, danger lurks just about everywhere. "The infant bucket swings are not safe," explains Espinoza. "She can't go down the slide. She can't play in the sand unless she is on her stomach." Safety fence: A fence contains children within the playground … Continue reading →

MAP: Find the playgrounds near you Janna Espinoza's daughter Coraline has hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and developmental delays. Nearly 2 years old, she can't sit up, stand, creep or use her hands as a typically developing child does. Coraline is among an estimated 6.4 million children in the U.S. with a disability. And for these kids the simple ritual of playing outside can get very complicated. "My daughter can't do very much at a typical playground, except watch her older sister play," says Espinoza. "Playgrounds are a depressing place for us." On a typical playground, danger lurks just about everywhere. "The infant bucket swings are not safe," explains Espinoza. "She can't go down the slide. She can't play in the sand unless she is on her stomach." Finding a place to play is a big challenge for children like these, and their parents. Sometimes, they must create one. Espinoza's community worked for a year to raise money for Tatum's Garden, a playground in Salinas, Calif., designed for everyone to enjoy. It's one of 2,505 playgrounds in 48 states and DC and 996 cities listed in our Playgrounds for Everyone app. NPR has spent the last year crowdsourcing the list. … Continue reading →

In this screen grab from the surveillance video, a suspect in a red shirt steals a tablet computer from the tray of the womans wheelchair. SEATTLE Seattle robbery detectives say the 17-year-old accused of stealing a wheelchair-bound womans tablet at Northgate Mall was high and not in his right mind. Police arrested the teen on Tuesdayafter several tipsters, including Q13 FOX News and Washingtons Most Wanted viewers, identified him. The suspect appeared angry and showed no remorse during his first appearance Wednesday in King County Juvenile Court. Q13 FOX is not naming the suspect becausehe is a minor. He has several other drug cases pending and his family told the judge they have been trying to get him into treatment. Carolyn, the victim in the case, has been living with Cerebral Palsy her whole life. She and her husband were enjoying an afternoon huddling together when the thief ran up and grabbed her Nook. First I was really shocked because I was like oh my gosh, he just took my tablet, said Carolyn. The suspect told detectives he was coaxed into stealing it by the other guy seen with him on the video. I think anybody who was an easy … Continue reading →