05/02/2023
CEREBRAL PALSY |SPASTIC TYPE|
Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form of CP, representing at least 70% of diagnoses.
Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders primarily affecting muscle coordination, balance and voluntary movement.The neurological condition typically appears in infancy or early childhood, resulting from irregular development or damage to the part of the brain responsible for mobility. Although a formal diagnosis may be delayed by months or years, most cerebral palsy patients are born with the disorder.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy Overview:
Spastic cerebral palsy occurs when a damaged part of the brain sends the wrong neurological messages, impeding normal development of motor functions. Specifically, the disorder can be partially attributed to damaged brain and spinal cord neuron bundles in the pyramidal tracts, where the corticobulbar and corticospinal tracts are involved with motor control.
Muscle stiffness and tightness are primary symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy, resulting in jerky movements and exaggerated reflexes. Other symptoms are highly individualized, impacting each patient in unique ways. For example, it is thought approximately one-third of individuals affected by the disease experience seizures.
Among children afflicted with the spastic type of CP, muscle tightness and poor coordination during deliberate movements are consistent, dominant symptoms; compared to ataxic and athetoid cerebral palsy, which may display a slightly different set of principal indications.The spasticity associated with CP can affect any muscle group, but certain patterns are seen across those with the disorder.
As is the case with other forms of CP, those with the spastic type are susceptible to co-occurring conditions, which can impact vision, hearing, swallowing, as well as bladder and bowel functions and other physical systems. Difficulty reasoning and slow development are also seen in some babies and young people diagnosed with CP. Children diagnosed with cerebral palsy commonly experience involuntary and unpredictable movements, and individuals with severe cases may not be able to walk.
Types of Spastic Cerebral Palsy
SPASTIC QUADRIPLEGIA
Spastic quadriplegia is a specific type of spastic cerebral palsy that refers to difficulty in controlling movements in the arms and the legs. Those who experience this form of Cerebral Palsy will not have paralysis of the muscles, but rather jerking motions that come from stiffness within all four limbs. Just like general CP, children will display symptoms early on in life, and the movements will hinder normal development. The National Institute of Health states that there are generally four causes to spastic quadriplegia: damage to a certain part of the nervous system, general brain damage, bleeding in the brain or a lack of oxygen to the brain.
Spastic quadriplegia will normally affect the whole body, even though the name refers to the four limbs on the body. The facial muscles and the core of the body are unable to perform their normal functions due to the intense amount of muscle tightness and strain.
Typically you’ll see symptoms anywhere from three months to two years old. Infants may be unable to control their head or make scissor-like motions with their legs, where their legs come together then cross at the knee. They will be unable to stand or crawl by 12 months, and they’ll have trouble stretching or moving. Their muscles may contract and relax quickly, or there may be general tautness in the muscles that leads to structural damage in the core of the body. It can make it difficult to sit up or control bladder or bowel function.
SPASTIC DIPLEGIA
This form of Cerebral Palsy affects the lower portion of the body. Known as diplegia, this will affect two of the limbs (the legs) rather than the whole body. About one in five children with CP have spastic diplegia, which is also known as Little’s Disease, named after the doctor who first wrote about this form of Cerebral Palsy. It is less severe in nature than spastic quadriplegia.
Children with this form will show signs and symptoms within the first few years, and will display many of the same sc******ng or contracting symptoms that a child with quadriplegia will exhibit. According to the studies published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, children with spastic diplegia may see many of the other developmental conditions as those with quadriplegia, including vision problems.
SPASTIC HEMIPLEGIA
Typically, the upper extremity is much more affected than the lower extremity with this form of Spastic Cerebral Palsy. This form impairs the ability of the brain to send proper nerve signals to the patients muscles. Spastic hemiplegia is a rather common form of Cerebral Palsy.
This very article is an eye opener to you who read this article. Drop all bad perceptions you hold about infants, or children having cerebral palsy. They are not in anyway possessed as many claim they are. The main problem is neurological,which has clinically explainable etiological background. Your child has a possibility of gaining control over his balance, and mobility through the intervention of a physical therapist.
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