SHATTERED DREAMS
Pregnancy and childbirth are supposed to be miraculous and one of the happiest times in life, but sometimes this cause for celebration takes a wrong turn.
During the time of brain development, early pregnancy to the age of three years, damage can occur, causing impediment of messages being sent from the brain to the body or received from the body to the brain. This interfering damage is known as Cerebral Palsy.
There are different types of CP, classified by the number of limbs affected. The Quadriplegia type involves all 4 limbs. Diplegia affects all four limbs, with both legs more severely affected than the arms. Hemiplegia involves one side of the body, with the arm usually more involved than the leg. Triplegia involves three limbs, usually both arms and a leg. Monoplegia affects only one limb, usually an arm.
Spastic CP is characterized by spasmodic muscles that are tight and stiff, with increased resistance when stretched. They become overactive when used, resulting in clumsy movements. Normal muscles work in pairs, with one group contracting, while the other group relaxes to allow free movement in the direction a person wants their arms or legs to move. Spastic muscles act together, blocking effective movement. This muscular problem can be thought as both sets of muscles trying to do the same thing simultaneously opposing each other. This is called co-contraction. It can be mild and affect only a few movements, or severe and affect the whole body. The amount of spasticity changes over time. Therapy, surgery, drugs and adaptive equipment, are useful for controlling it. Damage to the brain's cerebral cortex is the cause of spastic cerebral palsy.
Athetoid CP or Athetosis causes difficulty in control and co-ordination of movement. Many involuntary contorted movements occur, and limbs can be in constant motion, with speech difficulties becoming common. Damage to the basal ganglia in the midbrain as a result of blood type incompatibility causes this type.
Ataxic CP is the least common form of cerebral palsy. People with this have a disorganized sense of balance and depth perception. They usually display poor muscle tone known as hypotonic. Hypotonic refers to a staggering walk and unsteady hands. Ataxia results from damage to the cerebellum, the brain's major center for balance and co-ordination.
Different types of movement disorder and number of limbs involved can combine, resulting in conditions such as Spastic Diplegia. Regardless of the medical terms used to label different types of CP, it has no bearing on the type of person a child is, or how they will turn out in adulthood. Hopefully, this article dispels any myths about CP. It is not life-threatening or contagious, and no barrier to leading a long, productive life. CP children can grow and later enjoy satisfying careers, university education, social life, or even become parents, regardless of any limitations they may have.
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