Cerebral Palsy

November 29, 2020

4 min read

Did you know cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common childhood disorders in the world? Here in the United States, about 3 out of every 1,000 live births are affected by it. Right now, over a quarter million American children and adults are estimated to be diagnosed with CP.

Hearing this diagnosis from your child's doctor can be scary, but doctors and researchers have learned a lot about cerebral palsy over the decades and have developed a range of treatments and therapies to help people with CP live full lives.

Keep reading to learn some general information about cerebral palsy and discover a few helpful resources.

What is Cerebral Palsy?

To understand what cerebral palsy is, it helps to understand what its two words mean:

Cerebral: of the brain, specifically the cerebrum, which is involved in motor function
Palsy: paralysis or weakness of the muscles

In other words, "cerebral palsy" refers to a broad group of conditions that affect the way a person moves. Balance and posture are also generally impacted by cerebral palsy, which is diagnosed in childhood but will persist throughout a person's lifetime. Cerebral palsy can look very different from person to person, and the severity of the condition can range from mild to severe.

Cerebral Palsy: Causes, Types, and Risk Factors

Cerebral palsy can happen when something affects the normal development of a fetus's or infant's brain, or when something damages the developing brain. This abnormal development or damage can occur when a baby is still in the womb, during birth, or after birth—even within the first year's of a child's life.

Four types of cerebral palsy exist:

Spastic cerebral palsy: by the far the most common and affecting about 80 percent of people with cerebral palsy, spastic CP is hallmarked by increased muscle tension, which causes a person's muscles to be stiff and movement to be awkward; it can affect primarily the legs (spastic diplegia/diparesis), one side of the body (spastic hemiplegia/hemiparesis), or all four limbs (spastic quadriplegia/quadriparesis)
Dyskinetic cerebral palsy: this type of CP makes it difficult for a person to control the movement of their limbs, and the quality of their movement (as well as their muscle tone) can change throughout the day, from slow and writhing to rapid and jerky
Ataxic cerebral palsy: people with ataxic CP tend to have a harder time with things like keeping their balance and coordination
Mixed cerebral palsy: individuals with this diagnosis have more than one type of CP, such as spastic-dyskinetic CP

The cause of cerebral palsy isn't always clear. Most cases of CP (up to 90%) are considered "congenital," meaning that the brain damage or altered brain development happens before or during birth. Some cases of CP can happen due to brain damage that occurs sometime after 28 days following birth. Called acquired CP, this typically happens as a result of some sort of traumatic head injury or infection, like meningitis.

Additional causes or risk factors for cerebral palsy include infections in the mother during pregnancy, premature birth, breech position at birth, and low birth weight.

Cerebral Palsy Signs and Symptoms

Since so many types and degrees of cerebral palsy exist, cerebral palsy signs and symptoms can vary a lot. Symptoms that parents and doctors may notice when a child is in infancy or in the first few years of life include:

Delay in normal developmental milestones
Abnormal tone (either stiff or "floppy" muscles) and reflexes
Poor balance and coordination
Tremors
Unusual movements, such as writhing or jerking motions
Abnormal walking, like walking on tip toes, crouching, walking with a wide base of support, walking with a limp, or walking with the legs crossing (some people with CP are not able to walk and use a wheelchair instead)
Problems with drooling, sucking, swallowing, eating, or talking, as well as delayed speech development
Difficulty with fine motor skills, such as buttoning clothes or picking up utensils

Children with cerebral palsy may also have other signs, symptoms, and issues due to neurological problems such as seizures, learning disability or intellectual delay, abnormal sensations or pain sensation, impaired hearing or vision, urinary incontinence, and mental health problems.

Living With Cerebral Palsy

There isn't a cure for cerebral palsy, but a variety of treatments and therapies can be provided to help a person manage their signs and symptoms and improve their independence and quality of life. Depending on the individual's needs, treatment may include medication (e.g., to relax stiff muscles), surgery, and physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy.

For example, individualized treatment may help prevent common complications of CP, which according to Mayo Clinic include contractures (loss of range of motion in a joint due to muscle tissue stiffness), premature aging, bone weakness (osteopenia), degenerative joint damage (osteoarthritis), mental health conditions, malnutrition and conditions affecting the heart and lungs.

Providers who are commonly involved in the lifetime care of people with cerebral palsy include neurologists, pediatricians, surgeons, physical, occupational, and speech therapists, orthotists, mental health counselors, and eye, ears, and throat specialists.

Are you a parent of a child living with cerebral palsy? It can be so helpful to connect with resources and support groups in your local area. You may also be interested in connecting with others online. Be sure to download the Healthread app today to reach out to other families like you, or check out these cerebral palsy support groups online: