Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | Sign In

Cerebral Palsy IV Symptoms

Symptoms of LIfe Changing Disorders

Jun 22, 2009 Emily Retherford

Cerebral Palsy is a group of disorders that can drastically change a person's life. Knowing the symptoms can help diagnose a person at an early age.

Cerebral Palsy is a term that describes a group of disorders that affects body movement, balance, and posture. It's caused by an abnormal development or damage in parts of the brain that control motor activity and muscle tone. Individuals who suffer from Cerebral Palsy have difficulty coordinating and controlling their muscles and because of this, even the simplest movements can be very hard. The symptoms of Cerebral Palsy normally appear in infancy, but sometimes don't show until early childhood.

Delayed Milestones

While symptoms don't show in early infancy as the baby develops, delayed milestones may be an indicator that the baby has Cerebral Palsy. The baby may not be able to control her head, sit up by herself, or roll over by himself by the same time as a normal child would. All of these actions take muscle control and a child who has Cerebral Palsy will have difficulties with these simple movements.

Abnormal Muscle Tone

Someone with Cerebral Palsy, can have an abnormal muscle tone. This means his muscles may be very spastic (stiff) making it hard to move the limbs. The limbs may be held in awkward or unusual positions. For example, one who has spastic leg muscles may hold his legs in a scissor-like position because the muscles are tense. In others, the muscles may be unusually relaxed and can almost make their limbs seem floppy.

Abnormal Movements

Since the muscles in the body control movements, someone who suffers from Cerebral Palsy may have abnormal movements. With some people, their movements may seem abrupt or jerky. With others, the movements can be writhing and slow. Either way the movements will seem without purpose or like they aren't controlling the movements.

Skeletal Deformities

Some people only experience Cerebral Palsy on one side of their body. When this happens, the limbs on this side can be shorter than the limbs on the other side of the body. This can be surgically corrected, however, if it isn't it can lead to curvature of the spine or a tilted pelvic bone.

Seizures

Someone who is suffering from cerebral palsy can have seizures. This can appear early in life or years after the brain damage causes Cerebral Palsy. Seizures themselves can cause abnormal movements, but they may be masked by the abnormal movements from the Cerebral Palsy. About one third of patients that have Cerebral Palsy experience seizures as well.

Speech Problems

A person's speech is partially controlled by muscle movements. The movements of the mouth, tongue, and throat. While not all people who have Cerebral Palsy have this symptom, some are unable to control these muscles and therefore cannot speak clearly.

Swallowing Problems

This symptom can be extremely dangerous. Swallowing is a complex function and it requires the use of several groups of muscles. If a person with Cerebral Palsy can't control these muscles they can have trouble eating, drinking, sucking, and even controlling their saliva. They may drool. but the bigger risk is aspiration. If they inhale food or drink into their lungs it can cause infection or even suffocation.

References:

The copyright of the article Cerebral Palsy IV Symptoms in General Medicine is owned by Emily Retherford. Permission to republish Cerebral Palsy IV Symptoms in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

mother and son