Cerebral Palsy Condition Overview
Cerebral palsy is a very serious condition which is caused by a group of disorders. Cerebral palsy is also known as CP in short.
These disorders could cause serious problems by affecting a persons mobility and their ability to move. Specifically cerebral palsy individuals can have problems in maintaining their posture and balance. There are two main causes of cerebral palsy; the most common found in children is a problem in brain development, and in general, injury to parts of the brain.
In scientific terms, cerebral means the brain, while palsy means any sort of problems with the muscles or weakness. This problem occurs usually before birth or as soon as a child is born.
Cerebral palsy generally causes different types of impairment related to motor functions of the child. Depending on the seriousness of the condition, the child could experience milder signs like being clumsy or awkward, or in more serious cases, unable to walk.
Studies have been conducted and the results are pretty startling. The results show that 1 out of 303 children are affected by cerebral palsy. In an uncertain study, boys are more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy compared to girls. However, this is not set in stone as researchers are still looking for an explanation to this.
When it comes to spotting signs of cerebral palsy, it could be quite difficult as there are so many different types of signs, based on the level and seriousness of the condition. But experts have set a standard, that if your child has difficulty to master his or her motor of movements, it is best to bring them in for check up.
Some of the common signs for children over 2 months old are that they often cross their legs like a pair of scissors stiffly when picked up and they have difficulty controlling their head which usually falls backwards.
For a child over 6 months of age, they still find it hard to control their head when picked up, and when they are reaching out for something, they only use one hand, while the other often clenched into a fist.
Children who are over 10 months old who are suffering from cerebral palsy might show signs like crawling on one arm and leg while dragging the other side, as well as unable to sit on their own.
If a child is already over 12 months and still unable to crawl or stand, as well as over 24 months but still unable to walk or push a toy with wheels, they are most like affected by cerebral palsy. If you suspect your child is having it, do consult your family doctor.
The information provided in this article is for discussion purposes only and not to be used for diagnosis or treatment. A medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment.
Cerebral Palsy is a general term that describes a group of disorders that appear during the first few years of life and affect a childs ability to coordinate body movements.
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