Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth.
Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. In general, cerebral palsy causes impaired movement associated with abnormal reflexes, floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteady walking, or some combination of these.
People with cerebral palsy may have problems swallowing and commonly have eye muscle imbalance, in which the eyes don't focus on the same object. People with cerebral palsy also may suffer reduced range of motion at various joints of their bodies due to muscle stiffness.
Cerebral palsy's effect on functional abilities varies greatly. Some affected people can walk while others can't. Some people show normal or near-normal intellectual capacity, but others may have intellectual disabilities. Epilepsy, blindness or deafness also may be present.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms can vary greatly. Movement and coordination problems associated with cerebral palsy may include:
Variations in muscle tone, such as being either too stiff or too floppyStiff muscles and exaggerated reflexes (spasticity)Stiff muscles with normal reflexes (rigidity)Lack of muscle coordination (ataxia)Tremors or involuntary movementsSlow, writhing movements (athetosis)Delays in reaching motor skills milestones, such as pushing up on arms, sitting up alone or crawlingFavoring one side of the body, such as reaching with only one hand or dragging a leg while crawlingDifficulty walking, such as walking on toes, a crouched gait, a scissors-like gait with knees crossing, a wide gait or an asymmetrical gaitExcessive drooling or problems with swallowingDifficulty with sucking or eatingDelays in speech development or difficulty speakingDifficulty with precise motions, such as picking up a crayon or spoonSeizures
The disability associated with cerebral palsy may be limited primarily to one limb or one side of the body, or it may affect the whole body. The brain disorder causing cerebral palsy doesn't change with time, so the symptoms usually don't worsen with age. However, muscle shortening and muscle rigidity may worsen if not treated aggressively.
Brain abnormalities associated with cerebral palsy also may contribute to other neurological problems. People with cerebral palsy may also have:
Difficulty with vision and hearingIntellectual disabilitiesSeizuresAbnormal touch or pain perceptionsOral diseasesMental health (psychiatric) conditionsUrinary incontinence
When to see a doctor
It's important to get a prompt diagnosis for any movement disorder or possible delays in your child's development. See your child's doctor if you have any questions or concerns about episodes of loss of awareness of surroundings or of abnormal bodily movements (also known as seizures), abnormal muscle tone, impaired coordination, swallowing difficulties, eye muscle imbalance, or other developmental issues.
Causes
Cerebral palsy is caused by an abnormality or disruption in brain development, usually before a child is born. In many cases, the exact trigger isn't known. Factors that may lead to problems with brain development include:
Mutations in genes that lead to abnormal brain developmentMaternal infections that affect the developing fetusFetal stroke, a disruption of blood supply to the developing brainInfant infections that cause inflammation in or around the brainTraumatic head injury to an infant from a motor vehicle accident or fallLack of oxygen to the brain (asphyxia) related to difficult labor or delivery, although birth-related asphyxia is much less commonly a cause than historically thought
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All By Myself
Teen FictionEvery Stone is a 21 year old bisexual man, who has a 2 year old son, Evenessence, who has cerebral palsy. Every is raising his son alone since Evenessence's mother left when they discovered their son's physical condition. Axel Lee is a 23 year old g...
