Cerebral palsy is a birth defect which is caused due
to abnormalities in brain. Read more about the other potential causes for
cerebral palsy and its treatments.
Cerebral palsy is a
birth defect that affects movement, balance and posture. Individuals diagnosed
with this problem have abnormalities in their brains which leaves them unable
to have control on their muscles. There are several conditions like mental
retardation, problems with vision, speech and hearing, learning
disabilities, abnormal physical
sensations and seizures.
Potential Causes of
Cerebral Palsy There are many risk
factors that increase the chances of the child having cerebral
palsy.
- Premature
Birth – If a child is born before 37 weeks and weighs less
than 3 1/3 pounds has the possibility of having the risk of developing cerebral
palsy. This is usually due to bleeding in the brain of infant damaging brain
tissue.
- Infant receiving
insufficient oxygen
- Severe jaundice
- Lack of
oxygen during labour and delivery
- Breech birth
positions – This means that children who are born with
feet-first position have more chances of having cerebral
palsy.
- Infections during
pregnancy
– Some infections like German measles, chicken pox, exposure to toxins and some
other conditions in the mother causes damage in brain and results in cerebral
palsy.
- The potential causes of cerebral palsy
are most often due to birth
injuries and not due to birth
defects.
Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy
Parents who find that
their babies are having problem rolling over, crawling or walking, they should
immediately consult their pediatrician and discuss these concerns. The doctor
will evaluate the child’s muscle tone, check his reflexes and see whether the
child has developed his reflexes of using his left or right hand. There are
certain symptoms that occur in babies usually during 6 – 12 months of age and
then disappear. The doctor will study them and analyze as well.
There are some tests that can also help the doctor
determine whether the child is suffering from cerebral palsy or not.
Treatment of Cerebral
Palsy
The treatment for cerebral palsy is long
term with a medical team. The specific needs of the child is identified by a
team of health care professionals and the family members so that an individual
treatment plan is created. This will help the child reach his maximum potential
and the results will be positive and better as well. The team includes
- Pediatrician or
psychiatrist – To manage and keep an eye on the treatment plan and
medical care.
- Neurologist – A doctor who is
trained in treating children with brain and nervous system
disorders may be
involved.
- Orthopedic
surgeon – To diagnose and treat muscle and bone
disorders.
- Physical
therapist – To help child improve strength and walking skills
and stretch muscles.
- Speech language
pathologist – To help your child if he has difficulty
speaking, swallowing or with
language.
- Mental health
specialist – To help your child cope with his
disability.
- Special education teacher – To help your child with learning disabilities,
determine his educational needs and identify apt educational resources.
Medication – Medication is given to the child to reduce the
tightness of muscles to improve functional abilities, manage complications and
treat pain. It is very important to talk to the medical professional and find
out whether the medication is appropriate for your child’s needs or not. The
selection of the medicines is done only after determining whether the problem
has affected certain parts of the body or the whole body.
Therapies – Varieties of therapies are recommended to persons
with cerebral palsy to help their functional abilities get improved.
However, if proper,
regular and early prenatal care is taken and babies are given routine
vaccinations and above all women avoid smoking and intake of
alcohol or any other type of
drugs during pregnancy, occurrence of cerebral palsy can be prevented.
How to prevent the
development of cerebral palsy in kids? What are the common causes of cerebral
palsy? Which medications and therapies are used for treating cerebral palsy?
Discuss
here.
