Types of Cerebral Palsy - Find Out What
Cerebral palsy is a disease of the brain where malformations which occur during the womb creates bad muscle tone leading to physical impairments in the individuals ranging from the inability to maintain an upright walking position, or sometimes hold a pencil properly, and at other extremes some types of cerebral palsy victims find trouble breathing properly because of impaired muscles in the face, neck, and chest area. The disease is non-contagious, and most are non-progressive.
Acquired vs. Congenital
In the former, an accident post birth causes the child to acquire the disease, such as accidents, contact with chemicals that impair some parts of the brain resulting in impaired motor skills and hypotonia, which is characterized by a decrease in muscle tone or a decrease in the capacity of the muscles to contract and resist.
In congenital cerebral palsy, however, the disease is contracted during pregnancy or birth, and is thus considered as in-born. Here, pre-natal care is of utmost importance because congenital cerebral palsy can be a result of infections of the mother during pregnancy which could be passed to the child through the umbilical cord.
Certain other diseases such as jaundice in the child, if left untreated, can evolve into forms of congenital cerebral palsy.
From spastic to ataxic
Apart from these, other types of cerebral palsy classification is the spastic cerebral palsy,ataxic cerebral palsy, and athetoid cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy affects up to 80 % of all palsy victims, and is sub-classified as spastic hemiplegia which affects the side of the body opposite the affecte d area of the brain.
Spastic diplegia, on the other hand, affects the lower part of the body and is the most common of the spastic cerebral palsy victims. This often creates the scissor gait where the victim walks with flexed knees and flexed hips.
Sometimes, it is accompanied by crossed eyes since spastic diplegia also affects to a minimal extent the upper half of the body. The last classification is also the worst, and is called spastic quadriplegia. This form of cerebral palsy affects all limbs and creates much difficulty for the victim to walk, and in general, to move.
The more forgiving
Finally, the athetoid cerebral palsy which affects up to 40% of all palsy victims, is characterized by involuntary motions, making simple actions like picking up a pencil very difficult because of the many erratic muscle movements done along the way.
In spite of the many types of cerebral palsy, there is still hope. The disease is not progressive and does not worsen over time. On the other hand, with early treatment there is a possibility of easing the lives of victims.
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