Spastic Cerebral Palsy (CP)

CP essentially affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. Caused by brain injury or abnormal development of the brain that happens as a child’s brain is still developing: before birth, during birth or instantly after birth. Although some acquire Cerebral Palsy later on; at one point it was believed that it was initiated by complications during the birthing process. However, this does happen, it is now widely recognized that birthing complications only account for a small percentage, an estimated ten percent, of cases. Accidents, abuse, medical malpractice, negligence, infections and injury are also some known factors that may lead to the disorder. Individuals with CP are prone to show …show more content…
Regardless of the form, their body is affected to some degree: spastic, nonspastic or mixed. Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the most common type. One with spastic CP develops tight muscles in parts of the body which makes them unable to relax. Affected joints become stiff and tough to move. There are four kinds of spastic CP, classified according to how many limbs are affected. Hemiplegia is when one arm and one leg on the same side of the body are disturbed and diplegia is when both legs are. These two are the most common types of spastic CP. Monoplegia is when only one arm or leg is affected. Quadriplegia is when both arms and both legs are affected. Typically, the muscles that control the mouth, tongue, and windpipe are affected as well; which makes eating and talking difficult. Babies with spastic quadriplegia may: have difficulties sucking and swallowing, have a weak cry, have an abnormal floppy or a very firm body, be fidgety when awake, tend to sleep a lot or show little interest in what is going on around them. Triplegia is when either both arms and one leg or both legs and one arm are affected. Nonspastic forms of CP include dyskinetic and ataxic. Dyskinetic is related with muscle tone that oscillates between being loose and tight. In some cases, rapid or uncontrolled slow continuous movements happen involuntarily. These movements often disturb the face, neck, hands, feet, arms, legs, and sometimes the torso. Dyskinetic is subdivided into athetoid and dystonic forms. Athetoid is when one experiences limp muscles during sleep, with some involuntary movement. If the face and mouth muscles are affected, problems such as unusual facial expressions, drooling, speaking, or choking when sucking, drinking, and eating may develop. With dystonic, one’s neck and body are locked in an inflexible position. Ataxic being rarest type of Cerebral Palsy which comprises the