What are 11 facts about cerebral palsy?

There is a lot of fascinating information about cerebral palsy that people may use to better understand their condition and live better. Even though CP is a prevalent movement condition, many people have misconceptions about what it actually is.
This post will present 11 fascinating facts to help you better understand cerebral palsy and how it might affect their lives:

Cerebral palsy has a wide range of severities. Some individuals with cerebral palsy are not noticeably disabled or seem to be moderately uncoordinated, whereas others have slight control over their muscle movements and may have other neurological problems such as vision or hearing sensory impairment, epilepsy, cognitive impairment, or speech problems. Many people with this disorder fall somewhere in the middle.

CP can appear in many different forms. Spastic cerebral palsy (characterised by muscle spasms in one limb), athetoid cerebral palsy (characterised by involuntary movement), and ataxic cerebral palsy (difficulty with coordinated movement) are the three primary types of cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy, on the other hand, can manifest as a combination of these types.

Despite its neurological origins, cerebral palsy is not an intellectual disability itself — however, it can coexist with intellectual disability. Many patients with cerebral palsy have ordinary or above-average intellectual capacity, just like those who do not have cerebral palsy. As a result, it is important to assume competence when communicating with individuals who have cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy can cause significant muscle tears, especially over time. Pain can result from the aberrant muscle movements that occur in cerebral palsy. Pain affects 25% of kids and adolescents with cerebral palsy, while it affects up to 84 % of adults with CP.

Seizures and an absence of coordinated movement are symptoms of Cerebral Palsy. However, a large proportion of such cases are ignored as brain injury until convulsions become more frequent and are then diagnosed as Cerebral Palsy. Likewise, involuntary spasmodic movements could have been induced by movement disorders, acid reflux, an ear infection, or a medication side effect. As a result, properly diagnosing Cerebral Palsy becomes difficult, particularly in non-verbal children.

Even though there is no known treatment for cerebral palsy, early intervention can enable patients to manage their symptoms and live independently. Treatment is customized and adjusted as the child gets older based on their specific needs. The goal is to provide the children with as many abilities as possible to live a normal life. The greatest method to handle someone with cerebral palsy is to be empathetic and assertive.
The majority of cases of cerebral palsy are brought on by brain injury that occurs either before or during birth. Cerebral palsy is made more likely by a number of factors, including premature birth, a child conceived by IVF or other artificial insemination techniques, a mother infected during pregnancy and complications during birth.

Since cerebral palsy is not inherited, both adults with and without the condition have equal chances of having a child with CP. Moreover, CP can be linked to brain haemorrhage, infections, seizures, early birth, and traumatic head damage.

Considering cerebral palsy is an umbrella terminology, it can be used to refer to a variety of motor deficits of varying severity. Because of this, each cerebral palsy case is distinct and needs a customised management strategy. Muscular dystrophy and dyspraxia are two additional motor impairments that can appear in children, while cerebral palsy is the most common.

It's crucial to remember that a person with cerebral palsy is nonetheless capable of understanding speech, even if they are unable to speak. Alternatively, they can just have trouble controlling their facial muscles (dysarthria). As a result of their inability to verbally freely express themselves, many people with dysarthria are forced to use other forms of communication.

CP is not a neurodegenerative condition. However, if left untreated, cerebral palsy's unforeseen consequences, such as spasticity (high muscle tone), might worsen. Some of the therapies include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, medications and stem cell therapy.

Every person with cerebral palsy has a different case, and they will all have various motor and associative problems. Individuals can considerably increase their physical function and independence by adopting an individualised strategy for therapy and concentrating on each person's unique motor deficits and secondary problems.