Cerebral Palsy Defined

In the US, there are at least five hundred thousand infants affected by cerebral palsy. The disorder is caused by improper carriage of the mother during the early months when a child is still developing in the womb. In the survey done in the year 2003, Center for Disease Control said that one child affected by cerebral palsy needs at least $950,000 dollars for the cost of living. People affected with such disorder need a little extra care that sometimes may require financial compromise.

Cerebral palsy is a disorder causing a low or non-coordination of the muscle to the brain. This low or non-reaction of the body muscle is due to the brain damage acquired by a person during the early stages in his life. When a person has cerebral palsy he cannot properly move his limbs like a normal person.

Cerebral is a medical term used to refer for the brain. It is an adjective for the cerebrum, a part of the brain that is responsible for the motion, feelings, speech, sight and other senses and actions that can be done by humans. When the brain, this time termed as the cerebra, is damaged by definite and indefinite cause, the motion as done by the muscle is greatly affected.

Palsy is the term that means disorder in the posture of a human or the movements he is making. Because the brain is damaged, palsy may happen to a person. Summing the two terms together, a concrete idea or definition can be made. It can therefore be stated that cerebral palsy is the disorder in the movements or the posture of a person caused by the partial or full damage in the brain.

There are different types or level of cerebral palsy. The levels are indicated by the intensity of the damaged caused in the brain and the manifestation of the disorder. There are basic signs of cerebral palsy that are with no respect to the level of the damage in the brain.

When a person has cerebral palsy, he may experience problems in maintaining balance and muscle coordination. He may also experience difficulty in controlling his muscles, thus having difficulty in eating, drinking, standing, etc. A person with cerebral palsy may also be epileptic. Studies showed that 1 out of 3 CP affected person has epilepsy. Another thing is that, a person affected by Cerebral palsy may experience difficulty in learning.

The four categories of Cerebral palsy are 1) Spastic CP 2) Athetoid/ dyskenetic CP 3) Ataxic CP 4) Mixed CP.

The first three categories differ according to the place of damage in the brain and the intensity of it. The fourth category is the worst. That is when a person may experience two to three categories combined.

Cerebral palsy is irreversible and incurable. But there are therapies that can help a person affected to regain little coordination and control.