| Cerebral palsy (CP) is a form of brain damage that | | | | affected. So much so that the legs turn in and cross at |
| affects thousands of newborn children around the | | | | the knees. With spastic diplegia, a person can |
| world every year. With no definitive cure known as of | | | | experience stiffness of their legs when they try to |
| yet, people who have CP tend to suffer its effects for | | | | walk. |
| their entire lives. It is caused by damage to the motor | | | | Another form is spastic hemiplegia. It involves half of |
| control centers inside the brain. There are several | | | | each limb being severely affected. This type is |
| types of CP that occur during pregnancy, childbirth and | | | | generally diagnosed when a physician examines an |
| up to three years of age. Among them is spastic | | | | infant for hand preference. An infant less than one |
| cerebral palsy. It is the most common form and | | | | year of age does not show any type of hand |
| contributes to over seventy percent of CP cases. | | | | preference. If an infant is affected with spastic |
| Spastic cerebral palsy causes the muscles to stiffen; | | | | hemiplegia, however, the child will show hand |
| making movement difficult. During normal muscle | | | | preference on the affected side of the body. |
| functioning, muscles work in pairs. Each has two sets | | | | Therapists normally use muscle-relaxing substances |
| of nerve pathways; pathways that route signals to the | | | | like botulism toxins during treatment for the spastic |
| brain and pathways that receive the signal. Normally, | | | | form of cerebral palsy. It is injected into a certain group |
| both work in tandem with each other to ensure free | | | | of muscles being prepared for surgery or physical |
| movement. | | | | therapy. If further mobility and flexibility are still not |
| In the case of a person with spastic CP, both sets of | | | | achieved during a particular therapy session, then |
| nerves become active together. This floods the | | | | decompression of a patient's spinal cord and nerves |
| nervous system with messages, which causes a | | | | will need to be performed in order to decrease the |
| traffic jam of signals to be created. Eventual | | | | transmission of nerve impulses on particular muscles; |
| tenseness in the muscles is created, which in turn | | | | thereby relaxing them. Sometimes, orthopedic devices |
| causes the muscles to malfunction. The muscles in the | | | | are used to help keep the limbs in their proper position |
| areas affected will become stiff and when they are | | | | and enhance movement. |
| forced to stretch, they may cause sudden, jerky | | | | As time wears on, spastic CP can cause debilitating |
| movements. | | | | symptoms and disability can result from not receiving |
| Muscle involvement may differ from person to person, | | | | treatment. Loss of bladder control, uncontrollable |
| although the muscles of the legs and arms seem to be | | | | shaking and hand contraction can be permanent. |
| the most affected body parts of an individual suffering | | | | Depending on the level of function and severity of the |
| from spastic CP. There are a few variations of this | | | | condition, treatment for the spastic form of cerebral |
| disorder. One is spastic diplegia. It is a type of spastic | | | | palsy can vary from person to person. |
| cerebral palsy where the leg muscles are severely | | | | |