What is Cerebral Palsy?

WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY?

A congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture. Cerebral palsy is caused due to abnormal brain development, often before birth. Symptoms include exaggerated reflexes, floppy or rigid limbs and involuntary motions. These appear by early childhood. Long-term treatment includes physical and other therapies, drugs and sometimes surgery.
There are several different types of cerebral palsy — spastic, ataxic, athetoid, hypotonic, and mixed cerebral palsy. These conditions are classified based on mobility limitations and affected body parts. Each type can vary in severity, symptoms, and treatment.

Spastic Cerebral Palsy

• 77% of all cases

Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type and accounts for 77% of all cases. Also referred to as hypertonic cerebral palsy, most individuals with this type experience high muscle tone and exaggerated, jerky movements (spasticity).

It is caused by damage to the brain’s motor cortex, which controls voluntary movement. It is also caused by damage to the pyramidal tracts, which help relay signals to the muscles. For this reason, this type of cerebral palsy is sometimes referred to as “pyramidal.”

The motor cortex is found on both sides of the brain, and the pyramidal tracts connect each side of the motor cortex to one another. Damage to the right side of the motor cortex causes movement problems on the left side of the body, and vice versa.

SYMPTOMS OF SPASTIC CEREBRAL PALSY:

Common symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy include:

1. Abnormal walking
2. Awkward reflexes
3. Contractures (permanently tightened muscles or joints)
4. Stiffness in one part of the body

Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

• 2.6% of all cases

About 2.6% of children with the condition are diagnosed with  (also known as non-spastic or dyskinetic cerebral palsy). This type causes issues with involuntary movement in the face, torso, and limbs. Athetoid cerebral palsy is characterized by a combination of hypotonia (loosened muscles) and hypertonia (stiffened muscles) which causes muscle tone to fluctuate.

This type of cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain’s basal ganglia and/or cerebellum. The basal ganglia regulates voluntary motor function and eye movement, and the cerebellum controls balance and coordination.

Athetoid cerebral palsy is considered extrapyramidal. The extrapyramidal tracts in the brain regulate involuntary reflexes and movement signaled by the basal ganglia and cerebellum.

SYMPTOMS OF ATHETOID CEREBRAL PALSY: 

1. Feeding issues
2. Floppiness in the limbs
3. Problems with posture
4. Stiff or rigid body

Ataxic Cerebral Palsy

• 2.4% of all cases

Ataxic cerebral palsy makes up about 2.4% of all cerebral palsy cases. This type of cerebral palsy causes ataxia and issues with balance, coordination, and voluntary movement. It is caused by damage to the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordinating physical movement. Individuals with ataxic cerebral palsy often experience tremors and a reduction in muscle tone.

SYMPTOMS OF ATAXIC CEREBRAL PALSY:

1. Poor coordination
2. Problems with depth perception
3. Shakiness and tremors
4. Speech difficulties
5. Spreading feet apart when walking

Hypotonic Cerebral Palsy

• 2.6% of all cases

It (also known as atonic cerebral palsy) makes up about 2.6% of all cases. This cerebral palsy type is classified by low muscle tone that causes loss of strength and firmness, resulting in floppy muscles. Instability and floppiness in muscles caused by hypotonic cerebral palsy can cause a child to miss developmental milestones such as crawling, standing, or walking.

SYMPTOMS OF HYPOTONIC CEREBRAL PALSY:

1. Flexible joints and ligaments
2. Lack of head control
3. Loose muscles
4. Poor balance and stability

Mixed Type Cerebral Palsy

• 15.4% of all cases

In some cases, damage to the developing brain is not confined to one location. It is possible for a child to develop more than one type of cerebral palsy caused by damage to several areas of the brain. It occurs when a child is showing symptoms of two or more types of cerebral palsy. About 15.4% of all cases are diagnosed as mixed type cerebral palsy.

The most common mixed cerebral palsy diagnosis is a combination of spastic and athetoid cerebral palsy, since both of these types are characterized by issues with involuntary movement.