Cerebral palsy is a malfunctioning of the motor sphere. The patient is not able to maintain a pose and perform arbitrary movements due to a brain pathology that had formed before the baby was born.
Children with cerebral palsy and their parents cause genuine pity and sympathy. A terrible diagnosis forever tied them together. Indeed, cerebral palsy, what is it, in fact? This is almost a complete disability, a child cannot eat, drink, or go to the toilet on his own. Having such a diagnosis, a child who has not learned to walk up to 8 years old will never go on his own. Mother will be forced to pick up a sufficiently heavy offspring and carry it in her arms.
This terrible disease can be expressed in different ways: from mild lameness to complete immobility. And the first option is a completely healthy person who is able to work and start a family. The second option is a wheelchair user, incapable of independent existence.
Disease characteristics
The main symptom of cerebral palsy is a movement disorder. For kids with such a diagnosis, their own body is simply not subject to it, it does not obey them. Still, cerebral palsy - what is it?
- With this disease, coordination of movement is disturbed .
- Muscle tone increases . The baby’s muscles are always tense and do not know how to relax.
- Muscles, which, in fact, should not take part in movement, are pathologically included in the work.
- The child is not able to hold the pose.
- Hearing and speech defects.
- Mental retardation.
- Manifestations of seizures, epilepsy.
- Violation of sensitivity.
- Changes in the autonomic nervous system.
- Heavy sweating.
- Disturbed blood pressure.
- Wrong heart rate.
- Occasional increase in body temperature, etc.
Causes of the disease
Cerebral palsy - what is it? In fact, this is an unfavorable outcome of brain damage in the first months of a child’s life - perinatal encephalopathy. The following factors can lead to brain damage:
- A baby is born prematurely.
- Hemolytic disease of the newborn.
- Pathological childbirth, leading to the death of part of the brain cells, trauma during childbirth, asphyxia of the newborn.
- Prolonged or quick birth, stimulation or inhibition through medication.
- Forced use of forceps during labor.
- Attempts to squeeze the fetus.
- The birth of a child with brain defects, such as: incorrect anatomy, lack of parts of the brain.
Why is a brain defect?
- All kinds of diseases transmitted at the genetic level.
- Harmful effects on a pregnant woman.
Also, the risk can be caused by the birth of twins, vaccinations with an unfavorable outcome, deviations in the nervous system. Of course, all of the above does not mean that the baby will be born with cerebral palsy, however, it is absolutely necessary to be alert and vigilant with such signs!
Can we talk about the treatment of such children? After all, cerebral palsy - what is it? This is a fait accompli, and it is more appropriate to say here not about treating a child, but about his rehabilitation. The most important thing is to teach the patient self-care. To teach him how to cope without the help of loved ones in basic everyday matters. Here, doctors already can not help, the main part of the training falls on the shoulders of the parents. The sooner rehabilitation begins, the more chances to achieve maximum results.