CEREBRAL PALSY; TYPES, SYMPTOMS, AND TREATMENT PT 1

CEREBRAL PALSY TYPES SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT PT 1 Jul,28,2020

Cerebral palsy is a condition that results in deterioration of muscle tone, mobility, and posture, which is often caused by an immature or underdeveloped brain. This health condition is likely to develop before birth, which means its symptoms are likely to exhibit during the infancy period itself. Note that the main indicator of cerebral palsy is impaired movement, along with characteristics such as abnormal posture, unsteady walking, abnormal reflexes, floppiness of the trunk and limbs, etc. Many sufferers tend to exhibit a combination of all of these things. It is best to take your child to a pediatric doctor if you believe they are exhibiting the signs of cerebral palsy where you can get a more detailed prognosis.

Cerebral palsy can also cause eye muscle imbalance and hence, often making it really hard for affected people to focus on things. Plus, they may experience difficulty in swallowing. Overall, this health condition impairs the bodily functions of the sufferer. The severity of cerebral palsy in different people can vary tremendously. While some will be able to walk and exhibit normal mental stability, others suffer from mobility as well as intellectual issues. Other complications which may occur as a result of cerebral palsy include deafness, epilepsy, and blindness.

Types

There are mainly 4 types of cerebral palsy: spastic cerebral palsy, ataxic cerebral palsy, dyskinetic cerebral palsy, and pain mixed cerebral palsy.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

This is the most common type of CP, in which the patient will experience stiff and tight muscles or spasms. Physicians split spastic CP into three types.

  • Spastic Diplegia – stiffness in the legs and knees
  • Spastic hemiplegia – one side of the body is affected. In this case, one hand and leg of the sufferer would be shorter or thinner as a result, requiring them to walk on their toes.
  • Spastic Quadriplegia – this is the most severe kind of spastic CP where every limb, torso, and face of the sufferer will be affected. Such people would experience difficulty in walking and speaking.

Dyskinetic Cerebral Palsy                                

People with dyskinetic CP may have either too loose or too tight muscle tone. Their body movements would be uncontrollable in this case; it can be twisting, quick, slow, or jerky. In case the facial muscles are affected as well, they may experience issues such as excessive drooling, speaking disabilities, frowned face, etc. Dyskinetic CP is further divided into three types.

  • Athetoid – causing slow, writhing, and curvy movements
  • Choreoathetoid – characterized by uncontrolled and aimless movements
  • Dystonic – causing patients to suffer from abnormal muscle tone
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    About the Author

    Dr. Ghassan M. Al-Jazayrly, MD

    A graduate of University of Aleppo Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Al-Jazayrly or, as he is colloquially known: Dr. AJ, is an oncologist and hematologist of a Complete Care Community Health Center (CCCHC) with more than 36 years of experience. In recent years, he’s been involved with a non profit organization known as Every Woman Counts (EWC) which provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to California’s underserved populations in order to eliminate health disparities for low-income individuals.

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