How To Diagnose And Treat Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral Palsy is the name given to the condition in which a person’s motor skills, muscle tone and movement are adversely affected. In simple words, cerebral palsy leads to disoriented body movements in a person.

It might cause vision impairment, hearing impairment and speech impairment apart from learning disabilities. Brain damage is held to be the most common cause of cerebral palsy and by brain damage it refers to the one that took place during or prior to birth of a child. Cerebral palsy may also occur when the child is in its infant stage i.e. 3 years to 5 years. Cerebral palsy is of three types – spastic type of cerebral palsy that causes difficulties in movements, athetoid type that results in uncontrolled movements and ataxic type that creates disturbance in balance and the person becomes inefficient in measuring the depth of places.

Cerebral palsy may also cause problem in breathing, eating and bowel control as these require motor skills.

Causes of Cerebral Palsy

What causes cerebral palsy is still unknown but it is often related to pregnancy problems. It is said that cerebral palsy could be the result of such problems at the time of pregnancy that damaged the brain and prohibited its natural development. Cerebral palsy may also be the result of infections and any other maternal health issues. In certain cases, problems occurring during delivery of a child also cause cerebral palsy.

Babies weighing below 3.3 pounds are more prone to cerebral palsy. Risk of cerebral palsy is equally strong in case of twins and even triplets. As we have come to know that brain damage in an infant child is a possible trigger to cerebral palsy. Brain damage in an infant might be caused by bacterial meningitis, lead poisoning, shaken baby syndrome, malnutrition, etc.

If you were infected by any of the following types during pregnancy then there is higher risk for your child to develop cerebral palsy. Such infections include rubella, chickenpox, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus and syphilis. Exposure to methyl mercury and other such toxins also increase the risk. If the mother was suffering from thyroid problems during pregnancy then the child is at high risk of being prone to cerebral palsy.

Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy

If a child has had premature birth or has had complications during birth then diagnosis for cerebral palsy may well be started then and there. Pediatricians as well as neurological specialists observe such high risk infants right from their birth so that it becomes easy to identify as well as find a solution to delays in development process of the child. In fact, delays in development are the first sign that doctors identify as the trigger to cerebral palsy. Suppose a normal child sits up on his own by 7 months of age and the high risk child fails to do so by that age, he/she is known to have cerebral palsy. Doctors can also look for infant reflexes, muscle tone and disoriented movements in a child as the possible cause of cerebral palsy.

Effect on Child Development

The physical disability in kids suffering from cerebral palsy may vary widely. In some cases, cerebral palsy may lead to slight impairment of body movement and development while in others the severity of the condition may be gross. Other conditions associated to cerebral palsy are loss or impairment in hearing, blindness, gastroesophageal reflux, food aspiration, tooth decay, drooling, osteoporosis, sleep disorders and change in behavior. These might also be accompanied by communication problems, seizures as well as mental retardation in severe cases of cerebral palsy.

Complications of Cerebral Palsy

The immediate results of cerebral palsy can lead to serious conditions in the child as he/she grows up. These conditions are contracture that shortens muscle tissues owing to muscle tightening thereby inhibiting growth of bones, bending of bones, deformity in joints, etc.; malnutrition that is caused by swallowing problems; depression caused by inability to cope up with the disease and related disorders; premature aging due to stress and underdeveloped lungs, heart, etc.; post-impairment syndrome that is marked with presence of fatigue, pain and weakness due to body stress and energy expended to perform daily activities; and osteoarthritis which is a condition of extreme pressure on joints due to muscle spasticity.

Treatment for Cerebral Palsy

Although there is no sure shot way to cure cerebral palsy at present, therapies have come up over the years to improve the condition of kids suffering from it. There are therapies for enabling coordinated movements, learning improvement, hearing and speech improvement and emotional development. Some of the well known therapies for treating cerebral palsy are physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.

Physical therapy involves training the child’s muscles and adding to the child’s body strength through appropriate exercises to bring in flexibility, mobility, balance and motor development. Occupational therapists encourage the child to be self-dependent in performing daily tasks. Speech therapy, on the other hand, involves use of sign language to improve speech ability in the child. Special communication tools may also be used by the therapists to improve speech ability in the child.

Doctors will prescribe specific medications to the child depending on the effect of spasticity on a particular muscle (isolated spasticity) or the whole body (generalized spasticity). The most common drug prescribed for isolated spasticity is onabotulinumtoxinA injections. In case of generalized spasticity, drugs like diazepam, tizanidine, baclofen and dantrolene may be prescribed.

Muscle function can be proved with the help of braces, medications and in some cases surgery. Surgery leads to relocation of hips and repair of spine curvature. A baclofen pump can help the condition of muscle spasticity.

Prevention of Cerebral Palsy

Since the exact causes of cerebral palsy are still unknown, ensuring healthy pregnancy can be a good way to start with. A healthy diet prior to pregnancy and prenatal medical care once you are pregnant may lower the risk of cerebral palsy in your child. Any medications taken prior to pregnancy should be checked by the doctor to minimize the side effects ultimately leading to defects in child birth.

The pregnant woman should also keep in mind that complications such as seizures, anemia, diabetes, hypertensions and nutritional-deficient diet are avoided as much as possible to ensure a healthy child birth devoid of risk of cerebral palsy.
It should also be kept in mind that the child is never shaken too hard so that it leads to ‘shaken baby syndrome’ and hence damage to the brain. While seated in a car, make sure that the infant’s seat is properly fitted and the baby is strapped in properly.

Exposure to Lead

can also cause brain damage. So make sure that your house in devoid of serious amounts of lead content. Timely immunization of the child can also prevent the risk of cerebral palsy in your child.