Exploring few facts on cerebral palsy....

Cerebral Palsy a less explored yet a serious neurological disorder. This condition is caused due to any brain injury or any abnormality in the  brain development occurring during a child’s birth ,during birth or immediately after birth. Also sudden fever, maternal infections, deprivation of oxygen during labour, birthing trauma during labour and delivery , complications during pregnancy or early childhood may lead to the Cerebral palsy . Cerebral palsy is often referred as CP. CP primarily interrupts posture , body movement, muscle coordination, reflexes and balance. The secondary health defects arising from the disorder are poor sensation, problems of communication, perception, behavior etc .

Cerebral palsy causes both physical as well as intellectual impairment. Individuals with CP find it difficult to crawl, walk, and sit or even to grasp an object at times. Their muscles contract too much, too little, or all at the same time. Limbs can be stiff and forced into painful, awkward positions. They often face difficulty in thinking and reasoning, .The type of movement dysfunction, the location and number of limbs involved, as well as the extent of impairment, varies from individual; to individual depending upon the extent of brain damage.

Cerebral Palsy is non-life-threatening, incurable, non-progressive & permanent disorder. Every case of CP is unique such as an individual may have complete paralysis while another may have partial, some individual may suffer from intellectual disability while some may not.

 Treatment of CP includes physiotherapy therapy, speech therapy, drug treatment to control seizures, relax muscle spasms, and alleviate pain; surgery to correct anatomical abnormalities or release tight muscles; all the types of therapies focus on managing abnormal muscle tone and minimizing its effects on function, maintaining and improving movement and mobility skills, maintaining flexibility and preventing pain or discomfort.