It is a devastating experience for many parents when they hear from their doctors that their child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This disorder confuses not only parents but also doctors and that is why most doctors take a long time to diagnose this medical condition. After a thorough test, the doctor should be able to tell the parents what type of disorder is affecting the child.
Cerebral palsy occurs due to damage to the part of the brain that can cause poor muscle coordination and body movement. Brain development in a baby begins from the time of pregnancy to the time they are three years old, and depending on the damage that has occurred to their brain, babies can be classified into different types of paralysis. There are many types of cerebral palsy, and spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type found in many children.
Parents should remember that cerebral palsy is not a progressive disorder, that is, it does not get worse with age. It is certainly not contagious or due to hereditary factors and it is definitely not life threatening. When a child has been diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, it means that your child has stiff muscles, which tend to tighten as well. They show remarkable resistance when stretched. At times when they are hyperactive, they cause the child to make awkward or weak movements. In normal people, the muscles tend to work in pairs. When one group of muscles begins to contract, the other group begins to relax and this gives us freedom of movement in our limbs. But in spastic paralysis, the spastic muscles are activated at the same time and this prevents movement and this muscle warfare between the two groups is called co-contraction.
There are three types of spastic cerebral palsy and they are spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, and spastic quadriplegia. When a child is diagnosed with spastic diplegia, the child discovers that the hip and leg muscles are tight and that the legs are crossed at the knees, making it very difficult for the child to walk. This type of condition is known as “scissor” or “scissor gait.”
In spastic hemiplegia, the child experiences stiffness on only one side of the body, and sometimes it is the arms and hands that are more affected than the legs. His arms and legs, which are on the affected side, do not grow normally and need the help of leg braces to allow him to walk.
In spastic quadriplegia, which is the most serious of the three, a child affected by this disorder will have mental retardation, and his limbs will also be affected. Not only will the child experience seizures, but it will also be difficult for him to speak, eat, and move easily.
Spastic cerebral palsy can be treated with the help of therapy, medications, and even surgery. Children with this disorder would do well to learn music and dance therapy, yoga, physical therapy to get better.