Nursing Care for Cerebral Palsy

What Is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. The developing brain is damaged either during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder that affects movement, muscle tone, and motor skills (the ability to move in a purposeful and coordinated way). CP usually is caused by brain damage that happens before or during birth or during the first 3 to 5 years of a child’s life. This brain damage also can lead to other health issues like vision, hearing, and speech problems; and learning disabilities. Cerebral refers to pertaining to disorder related to the brain and palsy refers to pertaining to weakness or lack of muscle control.

Cerebral Palsy Causes:

Hope you have well understood the cerebral palsy meaning, lets know the causes of it. Cerebral palsy is caused by a deformity or interruption in brain development, usually before birth. In many cases, the exact trigger is unknown. Factors that may lead to problems with brain development include:

• Mutations in genes that lead to abnormal brain development
• The developing fetus is affected by maternal infections
• Asphyxia during birth is also a cause but less common

Types of Cerebral Palsy:

Most people born with cerebral palsy are called “congenital” CP. CP after birth is called “acquired” CP. There are 3 types of cerebral palsy:

1. Spastic cerebral palsy — most common type of CP causing stiffness and movement difficulties. It is further divided into:
   • Spastic Diplegia
   • Spastic Hemiplegia
   • Spastic Quadriplegia
2. Dyskinetic cerebral palsy — leading to involuntary and uncontrolled movements. It is further divided into:
   • Athetoid – Movements are slow, writhing, and curvy.
   • Choreoathetoid – Movements are uncontrolled and aimless.
   • Dystonic – Muscle tone is not normal.
   • Ataxic cerebral palsy — causing problem with balance and depth perception.
   • Mixed Cerebral Palsy – A mix of various types of cerebral palsy where the patient displays symptoms of more than one type of cerebral palsy.
3. Cerebral Palsy in Children: CP is one of the most common birth defects usually diagnosed by age 3. Cerebral palsy in children is usually because of the problem in one or more areas of the brain that control muscle movement. The condition causes too stiff or floppy muscles. It can make it hard to sit up or walk. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can include foot-dragging, walking on toes, and other problems while walking. Few types of cerebral palsy are also associated with speech problems and mental retardation.

Cerebral Palsy Symptoms:

• Variations in muscle tone like being either too stiff or too floppy
• Stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity)
• Stiff muscles with normal reflexes (rigidity)
• Lack of muscle coordination (ataxia)
• Tremors or involuntary movements
• Slow, writhing movements (athetosis)
• Delays in reaching motor skills milestones like pushing up on arms, sitting up alone or crawling
• Favoring one side of the body like reaching with only one hand or dragging a leg while crawling
• Difficulty walking especially while walking on toes, a scissors-like gait with knees crossing, a crouched gait, a wide gait or an asymmetrical gait
• Problems with swallowing or excessive drooling
• Difficulty with eating or sucking
• Delay in development of speech and difficulty speaking
• Difficulty with particular motions like picking up a spoon or crayon
• Seizures
• Difficulty with vision and hearing
• Intellectual disabilities
• Abnormal touch or pain perceptions
• Oral diseases
• Mental health (psychiatric) conditions
• Urinary incontinence

Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis:

A cerebral palsy specialist is best able to diagnose the condition. Cerebral palsy diagnosis may be made in the early stages as an infant is known to be at risk for developing the condition because of premature birth or other health problems. To make the final diagnosis imaging tests like Mri (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT Scan (Computed Tomography), EEG (Electroencephalogram), Cranial Ultrasound might be recommended.

Cerebral Palsy Treatment

The type of treatments used depends on the patient’s:

• Type of cerebral palsy
• Location of movement problems
• Level of disability
• Co-occurring conditions

As per the cerebral palsy treatment guidelines, the cerebral palsy treatment program is twofold – treatment early in life and lifelong management. Now since you have understood the Cerebral Palsy meaning, it is important to remember there is currently no cure for it. However, the symptoms can be better managed through various types of cerebral palsy therapy, braces, medication, and surgery to allow a fuller life depending upon the severity of the condition. The various kinds of specialists and therapy involved with cerebral palsy are Physiotherapists, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech-language pathologists, Pediatricians, etc.

Cerebral Palsy Physiotherapy:

Physiotherapy plays a major role in cerebral palsy treatment. This cerebral palsy physiotherapy has been known to help with muscle stiffness, relieving pain and the improvement in mobility through varied specialized exercises. The main aim of cerebral palsy physiotherapy is to help those affected with cerebral palsy achieve full fitness and independence as per their potential.

Cerebral palsy treatment in India has improved by leaps and bounds with the availability of more specialized healthcare and well-trained specialists. With the traditional medicinal approach, there is no cerebral palsy cure. However with progress in medical science and technology, it is now possible to offer stem cells treatment to children with CP. There are non invasive alternatives that can reduce the symptoms as well as slow down the progression of the disease.

Cerebral Palsy Cure:

There is no current cerebral palsy cure. However, the disorder generally doesn’t get worse with age progression, although associated medical conditions of Cerebral Palsy can sometimes increase in severity. Medical practitioners and scientists are continuously working on ways to find a cure for CP. Some of the recent methods physicians and scientists are testing out, include:

• Brain cell reparation
• More intervention techniques to help prevent brain cancer
• Stem cell research

How Can We Help

We at Portea offer the best cerebral palsy treatment at home. Our staff of well-trained doctors and physiotherapists are efficient and capable in understanding your requirements in providing you with quick relief. Our experienced physiotherapists will offer customized cerebral palsy treatment plan after fully assessing your condition. With proper medical advice and attention, we will ensure that you get relief by our professional cerebral palsy treatment at home. So stop suffering, get in touch with us for the best treatment for cerebral palsy. You can simply type cerebral palsy treatment near me near me on Google to find us.

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