Cerebral
Palsy (CP) is a disorder which affects body movement, posture and balance. The
muscle coordination is lost, and the muscles stay tight. Damage to certain
parts of the brain because of abnormal development or an injury leads to this
condition.
Cerebral
palsy affects thousands of children worldwide every year. A child may develop
cerebral palsy in the fetal stage, after birth or even in the early years of
childhood. It is basically a collective term used to describe a number of
neurological conditions which affect voluntary movement and coordination in the
child. Cerebral palsy treatment
constitutes of rehabilitation mainly as surgery is not able to repair the
damaged brain structure.
How is cerebral palsy identified?
The
symptoms of cerebral palsy are similar to other types of disorder hence it
takes an expertized advice to diagnose the condition as cerebral palsy. At
times, the damage to the brain that develops CP is not treatable which makes
the disabilities permanent.
In
this condition, the children show the following symptoms:
- · Inability to perform voluntary movements due to lack of muscle coordination
- · Tightened and stiff muscles
- · Exaggerated reflexes
- · Abnormal gait/way of walking
- · Abnormal muscle tone floppy/stiff
- · Weakness in arms and legs
- · Inability/difficulty to speak or swallow, leading to excessive drooling
- · Bouts of tremors shakes and random involuntary movements
- · Slow development of motor skills
Apart
from these symptoms, the child may also experience seizures, intellectual
disability, slowed overall growth and development, hearing loss and visual impairment.
What causes cerebral palsy?
Abnormal
development of certain tissues of the brain, due to an injury or other factors
is known to result in the development of cerebral palsy in the child. This can
also be the result of:
- Insufficient oxygen supply in the fetal stage or at birth
- Infection or injury during pregnancy
- Premature birth complications
- Neonatal encephalopathy – critical illness at birth resulting in reduced oxygen supply to brain
- Abnormal shape of the brain or its structures
How is the treatment of cerebral
palsy done with stem cell therapy?
Stem
cell therapy for cerebral palsy at
NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute enables the regeneration of the damaged
brain cells, thereby reversing the effects of the damage to a large extent.
Stem
cells are able to differentiate into several other types of cells, such as
glial cells, oligodendrocytes, and others, which are essential for normal
functioning of the nervous system.
