MOnday 19th October 2015 - Cerebral Palsy

What is cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is the overall term for different neurological conditions that affect a persons movements and co-ordination. In the UK an estimated 1 in 400 people are affected by this condition. The symptom's of this condition usually become apparent within the first three years of a child's life, the main symptom's are...

• Muscle stiffness and weakness
• Uncontrolled body movements
• Balance and co-ordination problems

These symptoms can affect different areas of the body and can change in severity depending of the person. Some people may have minor problems where others may be disabled. Many people with Cerebral Palsy may also have a number of problems that may include seizures or fits, problems and difficulties when eating and swallowing. As well as this some people may have communication and learning difficulties however the intelligence of this child is often not affected. A child with this condition may have difficulties in achieving important development goals such as learning to crawl, walk and speak. This condition is not a progressive conditions and therefore the original problem that I in the brain doesn't get worse with age and the life expectancy of the person affected is not shortened. On the other hand the physical and emotional strain of living with this long-term condition can put a lot of stress on the body and this may cause further problem in later life.

How is it caused?

These conditions are caused by problems in the parts of the brain that is responsible for controlling he muscles in the body as well as the nervous system. This condition can occur if the brain develops abnormally or perhaps damages before, during or slightly after birth. Some of these causes include...

• If the mother caught an infection during pregnancy.
• A premature birth.
• A bleed in the baby's brain.
• Mutations in the genes of the baby that may affect the brains development.

How is Cerebral Palsy treated?

There is no cure for this condition, however there are different treatments available to those who are affected. These treatments are able to control some of the symptoms associated with this condition, this is to help these people gain as much independence as possible. Some of these treatments include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and different medications that are used to relieve muscle stiffness and muscle spasms. In some of these cases surgery may be needed.

Reference 

Accessed 20/10/15 http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cerebral-palsy/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Exercise and Cerebral Palsy

There are many benefits of people with Cerebral Palsy exercising, they can help the person feel more energetic, have a release if stress and general good feeling, it can improve well-being and reduce stress and anxiety. As well this it can help them increase participation in community and individual activities. For people with Cerebral Palsy exercise can increases heart and lung efficiency, as well as maintain strength, flexibility, co-ordination and mobility. As well as this it can improve bone structure and help weight control and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like  osteoporosis and high blood pressure. Exercise for people with this condition should be made into a park of their daily routine, onw way of doing this is to enrol your child into physical fitness programmes, dance and gym. When doing this it is important that the staff are aware of any of these additional needs and have the help and co-operation of an instructor during class.

Reference
Accessed 28/10/15 http://www.cerebralpalsysource.com/Treatment_and_Therapy/exercise_cp/index.html