Dr. Pratik Desai

Lack of oxygen to the brain that occurs during, before or shortly after the birth of a child results in the disorder of movement, which is referred to as cerebral palsy. It is regarded as a common childhood disability that makes the movement of certain parts of the body very difficult. There are different categories of cerebral palsy and each of them has different characteristics and symptoms. The disorder of movement includes jerky and stiff movements such as spastic cerebral palsy. It may also lead to movements that are uncoordinated such as athetoid cerebral palsy. These include athetoid-dyskinetic, hypotonic, spastic and ataxic.

Effects of Cerebral palsy
In some, the disorder of movement is very severe and the patient is restrained to a wheelchair. In cases where movement is limited, it could be a slight limp in the arms or hands. The disorder cannot be considered as lack of intelligence or mental disability. The condition requires the medical diagnosis for treatment, but it cannot be cured. The involuntary and voluntary movements of the body are affected to a great extent due to the damage to the brain. The condition is not contagious and it also does not affect the cognitive ability of a child. In some cases the symptoms reduce over time. Further, since it is not progressive, it does not worsen with an increase in age. The lifespan of these individuals is also normal. The damage to the cerebrum can be caused during the birth of the infant or within 5 years of their birth.

Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy
The main symptoms that an infant with cerebral palsy can have include movement and muscular problems. The muscles of the child are underdeveloped, which leads to floppy and stiff movements. The child suffers from poor coordination and his movements of writing are also very slow. The stiff muscles of the body contract abnormally and this condition is also referred to as spastic paralysis.

The other signs are the infant would crawl in an unusual way and would lie down in awkward positions. The range of movements in these children is very limited and they often they suffer from eyesight and hearing problems. They have problems controlling their bladder and bowel movements, in swallowing food and even in walking.

Reasons Behind Its Occurrence
The three possible reasons behind the occurrence of Cerebral palsy include PVL or Periventricular leukomalacia, abnormal development of the brain and due to intracranial damage. The Periventricular leukomalacia mainly affects the white matter of the brain due to lack of oxygen in the womb. Mothers who suffer from low blood pressure, use illegal drugs or contract infections such as German measles are prone to this condition of lack of oxygen. Lack of oxygen to the brain can also be caused because of preterm delivery. There is also a higher risk of cerebral palsy due to a damaged placenta and multiple births. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!