Cerebral Palsy Faqs

Cerebral palsy, also known as CP, is a disorder of movement and posture that is not progressive in nature

. It is caused by an injury or a defect or lesion in the developing brain of a fetus, newborn of infant. The specific cause of cerebral palsy is sometimes difficult to determine. Sometimes the defect or lesion on the brain is caused by infection or illness during the pregnancy or malpractice or negligence on behalf of the hospital. Many cases begin in the pre-natal period before birth. Cerebral palsy is not contagious or inherited.

A significant number of CP cases can be prevented. In medical negligence cases, such as careless handling of the childs head or undetected oxygen blockage in the childs brain, there are often ways to prevent these cases of cerebral palsy. As more and more causes are found it is possible that more preventions will be available. An estimated 500,000 people in the United States have cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy has no cure. There are treatment options available to alleviate the symptoms. Treatments include therapies, medicines, special equipment, surgery, and counseling. Any combination of these treatments may be use in your childs case. The amount of management options grows every year. Early intervention is considered to be the most important factor in the patients treatment. Therapy and special learning can keep the disability under control if the symptoms of Cerebral Palsy are recognized early.

Early symptoms of cerebral palsy are usually seen in children under three years old. Parents are often the first to see the signs that their child is not developing normally. Children who have cerebral palsy may have trouble sucking or moving from one position to another. Their muscles may be weak and they may experience body tremors, drooling and weakened muscles in the face and may lose control of his or her tongue. Your child may have a problem sitting upright or shakes a lot and may have uncontrollable jerking of the legs, arms, or torso. Any or all of these symptoms may be found in a cerebral palsy patient. In addition to these, the patient may struggle with gross motor skills such as walking or kicking a ball or with fine motor skills. Fine motor skills include handling scissors, using crayons, or buttoning a shirt.

If you see any of these symptoms in your child you should consult with your family doctor as soon as possible. Doctors will perform a number of tests and look at many different indicators in order to diagnose cerebral palsy. It can take days, weeks, or sometimes months to get a conclusive diagnosis of CP. As a parent you should look into counseling. Being the caretaker of a disabled child is difficult and you need to emotionally stabilize yourself in order to emotionally support your child as well.

by: Phillip Stone

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