Cerebral palsy

JERIN.T.S, 3RD YEAR BSC NURSING, KRSMCON
MANGALORE. PH:+919496743672

What is Cerebral Palsy?
Definition: Cerebral Palsy is a general
term that describes a group of disorders that appear
during the first few years of life and affect a child's
ability to coordinate body movements.

Some Possible Causes
 Maternal infection during pregnancy, such as
rubella or other viral infections
 Severe jaundice in newborns, which may be caused
by infection, severe bruising or problems with red
blood cells
 Abnormal brain development before birth,
resulting from genetic causes or metabolic disorders
 Disturbance to brain circulation before birth,
caused by an artery spasm or blood clot, similar to a
stroke in adults

Risk Factors of Cerebral Palsy
 Babies that are premature or have a low birth weight
 Complicated labor and delivery
 Maternal infection during pregnancy
 Health problems in the mother during pregnancy that
impair normal blood circulation to the uterus and
placenta

Signs of Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
The symptoms for Ataxic CP include the following:
 • Poor balance
 • Jerky speech patterns
 • Shakiness
 • Unsteady and wide- based walk
 • abnormal eye movements
 • Low muscle tone
 Patients with this condition appear limp and lifeless. The simple
act of reaching out to touch or hold something can cause a
tremor that worsens as they get closer to the object they’re trying
to touch. Some refer to this as “intention tremors” because they
occur when the person is trying to intentionally do something.

Signs of Spastic and Rigidity Cerebral Palsy
 Spastic cerebral palsy.
 causes muscles to stiffen, which makes movement
difficult.
 It can affect both legs (spastic diplegia),
 affect one side of the body (spastic hemiplegia).
 In the most severe cases, all four limbs are affected
(spastic quadriplegia).

Signs of Athetoic Cerebral Palsy
 Athetoid movements can affect the muscles in the
face, causing drooling.
 Speech Problems
 abnormal speech
 Speech can be slurred, garbled and difficult to
understand.
 Involuntary movement of the face and mouth make it
difficult to form sounds, and drooling often occurs
with speech.

When to seek medical advice
 If your baby seems to display weakness or paralysis in a
limb or isn't developing motor skills at the expected
times, talk to your family doctor or pediatrician. Every
baby develops at his or her own pace, so there's no
need to panic if your baby doesn't meet one of the
monthly milestones described in a parenting book.
But it's important to share any concerns about your
baby's development with your doctor.

Tests and Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy
 Early signs of cerebral palsy may be present from birth,
but it's often difficult to make a definite diagnosis
during the first six months. Cerebral palsy is generally
diagnosed by age 1 or 2.
 Computerized tomography (CT) scan. Images
created with a CT scanner show the structure of your
child's brain, as well as the presence and extent of any
damage.
 Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.
 Other tests Some children may need genetic or
metabolic tests to help rule out other conditions.

Treatment Physical therapy. Physical therapists work to help your child reach his or her
maximum potential for functional independence through a variety of approaches
including exercise, mobility training, orthotics or braces, and use of other
equipment. Muscle training and exercises may help your child's strength, flexibility,
balance, motor development and mobility, as well as ease care giving.
 Occupational therapy. Therapists in this field focus on the development of fine
motor skills and self-care skills. Using exercises, facilitated practice, alternative
strategies and adaptive equipment, they work to promote your child's independent
participation in daily activities and routines in the home, school and community.
They may also address difficulties with feeding and swallowing.
 Speech therapy. A speech therapist works with your child on both the receptive
(understanding) part of speech and language as well as the expressive part (talking).
Speech therapists help improve your child's ability to speak clearly or communicate
using alternative means such as an augmentative communication device or sign
language. Speech therapists may also help with difficulties related to feeding and
swallowing.
 Vision and hearing aids. Depending on how severely your child's eyes are affected,
he or she may need eyeglasses or surgery to correct a condition, such as cross-eye or
other inability of the eyes to focus together properly (strabismus). Hearing aids may
help correct any hearing problems.

Continued….
 Orthotics. A variety of orthotics or "braces" or "splints" may be recommended for your child.
These may be used on your child's legs, arms or trunk. Some of these supports are used to help
with function, such as improved walking. The purpose of others is for additional stretching or
optimal positioning of a joint. You'll need to pay careful attention to your child's skin under the
orthotics to make sure that the skin isn't becoming irritated. Just like your child needs new
shoes as they grow, they may also need new orthotics over time. Your rehabilitation team can
help you decide which type of orthotic is most useful at what time of your child's life.
 Medications. These may include muscle relaxants to ease muscle spasticity and
anticonvulsants to reduce seizures. Injections of botulinum toxin (Botox) directly into spastic
muscles also may be helpful.
 Surgery. Children with severe contractures or deformities may need surgery on tendons, bones
or joints to place their arms and legs in their correct positions. This can make it easier to use a
walker, braces or crutches. Children with severe spasticity who haven't responded to oral
medications may also benefit from surgical procedures.

Prevention
 Make sure you're immunized. Immunization against
diseases such as rubella may prevent an infection that
could cause fetal brain damage.
 Take care of yourself. The healthier you are heading into
a pregnancy, the less likely you'll be to develop an infection
that may result in cerebral palsy.
 Seek early and continuous prenatal care. Regular visits
to your doctor during your pregnancy are a good way to
reduce health risks to you and your unborn baby. Seeing
your doctor regularly can help prevent premature birth, low
birth weight and infections.

Cerebral palsy

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