Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy is an abnormal development of the brain that causes motor deficiencies like improper movement, balance and posture. Therefore, there is an area of the brain that’s dormant or paralyzed. This leads to either partial or complete muscle paralysis. Brain damage usually happens before, during, or shortly after birth. This is a condition that affects infants, children, and adults across the world.
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Spastic cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain’s motor cortex, which controls voluntary movement. It is also caused by damage to the pyramidal tracts, which help relay signals to the muscles. For this reason, this type of cerebral palsy is sometimes referred to as “pyramidal.”
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Athetoid cerebral palsy is characterized by a combination of hypotonia (loosened muscles) and hypertonia (stiffened muscles) which causes muscle tone to fluctuate. This type of cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain’s basal ganglia and/or cerebellum. The basal ganglia regulates voluntary motor function and eye movement, and the cerebellum controls balance and coordination.
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Ataxic cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordinating physical movement. Individuals with ataxic cerebral palsy often experience tremors and a reduction in muscle tone.
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Mixed cerebral palsy occurs when a child is showing symptoms of two or more types of cerebral palsy. About 15.4% of all cases are diagnosed as mixed type cerebral palsy. The most common mixed cerebral palsy diagnosis is a combination of spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy, since both of these types are characterized by issues with involuntary movement.
SYMPTOMS OF CEREBRAL PALSY
Some of the most common symptoms in cases of Cerebral Palsy include:
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delays in reaching motor skill milestones, such as rolling over, sitting up alone, or crawling
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variations in muscle tone, such as being too floppy or too stiff
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spasticity, or stiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes
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excessive drooling and problems with swallowing
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difficulty walking
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favoring one side of the body, such as reaching with one hand
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neurological problems, such as seizures, intellectual disabilities, and blindness
(Source - https://www.healthline.com/health/cerebral-palsy )