CEREBRAL PALSY
- Cerebral Palsy
- Causes of Cerebral Palsy
- Four Types of Cerebral Palsy
- Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis and Risks
- Cerebral Palsy Prevention
- Cerebral Palsy Treatment
Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of disorders involving chronic impairment and control of bodily movement that usually first appears in the very young. It has also been known as static encephalopathy, spastic diplegia, and as "Littles disease," after William Little, M.D., a 19 th century British surgeon and medical scholar who wrote about the condition. Dr. Little described children with stiff, spastic arm and leg muscles, indicating that their symptoms seemed neither to deteriorate nor to improve with the passage of time and the process of maturation.
Cerebral palsy used to be exclusively attributed to oxygen deprivation and other complications during childbirth, but this theory was discredited in the 1980's when it was discovered that birth complications were implicated in only 10% of all cerebral palsy cases.
If your child has been injured, it is important that you know and understand not just your rights, but the rights of your injured child. A qualified cerebral palsy attorney can provide answers to the many questions you may have. A competent birth injury lawyer, as listed on this site, is experienced in cerebral palsy cases and working with skilled medical experts, and can help you make your own determination whether your child's birth injury could have been prevented with proper medical attention. Please call today for your initial consultation.
There are four main categories of cerebral palsy - spastic cerebral palsy, athetoid cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy, and mixed cerebral palsy.
- Spastic cerebral palsy is present in 70% to 80% of all cases, keeping the patient's muscles in a continuing state of involuntary reflex, or "spasms."
- Slow and uncontrolled movements are the identifying symptoms of athetoid cerebral palsy, affecting 10% to 20% of all cerebral palsy patients.
- Ataxic cerebral palsy appears in only 5% to 10% of the cases. As with other forms of cerebral palsy, there may be other symptoms present as well.
- The most common form of cerebral palsy by far is "mixed cerebral palsy," which tends to combine spasticity and athetoid movements.
Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis and Risks:
Risk factors for cerebral palsy are ever present in childbirth, but it does not necessarily follow from their presence that cerebral palsy will occur. A few of these risk factors include:
- Breech presentation. In this situation, the baby is positioned feet first rather than head first, the usual and customary presentation for birth
- A complicated labor and delivery
- Vascular and/or respiratory problems
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight
- Multiple births
- Visible neurological malformation, e.g., an abnormally small head
Diligent medical practitioners will often consult the Apgar Scale, a numbered rating system for checking the baby's heart rate, breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and skin color during the first minutes after birth. A low Apgar score indicates potential problems of one kind or another and is often an indicator of cerebral palsy.
Symptoms manifested by the mother during pregnancy may also suggest the possibility of cerebral palsy in the child. Maternal bleeding or severe proteinuria (excessive protein in the urine) late in pregnancy and vaginal bleeding during the sixth to ninth months are both linked to higher risk of cerebral palsy affecting the child. Mothers with hyperthyroidism, mental retardation, or seizures are also more likely to have a child with cerebral palsy. Seizures in the newborn child may also be indicators of cerebral palsy in the child's future. If cerebral palsy has affected your child or a member of your family and you believe it is the result of medical malpractice, please consult with a cerebral palsy attorney listed on this site to begin your initial consultation to discuss your litigation options.
Proper prenatal care and medication, good nutrition and reasonable exercise during pregnancy are all helpful in preventing the occurrence of cerebral palsy and other birth defects. However, even the healthiest of pregnancies is no guarantee against birth defects.
Rubella (German measles) was once the dreaded scourge of expectant mothers for the cerebral palsy it inflicted on their unborn children. A Rubella vaccination administered prior to the pregnancy eliminates this risk altogether.
Careful observation of a child's behaviors during the first three years can provide useful insights about possible problems.
Abnormal muscle tone may also presage cerebral palsy, but it is important to note that a great many other, harmless things can cause abnormal muscle tone as well. A competent pediatrician can make a definitive determination.
The following is a list of treatment methods that seem widely recommended and in use by health care professionals for cerebral palsy:
Physical therapy is a very important treatment, provided that it is implemented rapidly following the diagnosis of cerebral palsy. There are exercises specifically designed to maintain muscle tone and prevent muscular atrophy (deterioration resulting from lack of use).
Physical therapists can also help children with cerebral palsy in developing and enhancing their motor skills, and other disciplines employ behavior therapy and psychological theory and techniques to complement physical, speech, or occupational development.
Pharmacology provides an effective arsenal for use in combating some of the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Prescription drugs are often used to prevent or control the seizures sometimes associated with the disease. Recently developed drugs have proven effective, at least in short-term use, in controlling spasticity by interfering with the process of muscle contractions. The long-term efficacy of these drugs has not yet been established.
Intramuscular alcohol injections have also provided short-term relief of spasticity, affording a window of opportunity during which physical therapies to stretch and lengthen the muscle may be conducted.
Surgeons are working on an experimental procedure intended to reduce spasticity in the legs by inhibiting the extent of stimulation of nerves involved in the contractures, but it is too early to assess its effectiveness.
Although there is no known cure for cerebral palsy at present, researchers are actively developing a variety of treatment methods, but their work is focused primarily on the management of symptoms and enhancing the quality of life. Sadly, the damage and resulting symptoms of cerebral policy are irreversible, at least, thus far. The range of treatment for cerebral palsy may include physical therapy, drug therapy, or even surgery, depending on the needs of the individual patient. If cerebral palsy has affected your child or a member of your family and you believe it is the result of medical malpractice, please consult with a cerebral palsy attorney listed on this site to begin your initial consultation to discuss your litigation options.