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Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

by Jason Gluckman

From the several thousand cases of Cerebral Palsy reported around the world each year, about 10% of them are cases of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. This disorder is exactly the opposite of spastic Cerebral Palsy wherein the muscles are too rigid. In Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, the muscles are too loose, giving the child almost no control over its movements. The child also lacks vertical stability since the entire body is affected.

Several cases have proven that a child suffering from Athetoid Cerebral Palsy is more intelligent than an average child. Hence it is more depressing as the child has trouble even holding a pen or scratching his nose. The child needs to put in a lot of effort and concentrate on muscle coordination to get the desired result. In most cases of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, the child has no control over his muscles. Common symptoms include involuntary grimacing, drooling and constant writhing movements of the limbs.

This disorder originates from the Basal Ganglia in the midbrain region. These are specialized structures that help maintain posture and movements. In Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, these Basal Ganglia are damaged, which causes fluctuations in the muscles throughout the body. Some attribute this damage to increased levels of bilirubin in the child from infections and blood incompatibility between the mother and her child. This condition gets aggravated during high stress levels and almost disappears during sleep.

The treatment of Athetoid Cerebral Palsy primarily involves helping the child regain his or her center of gravity. Great patience and perseverance is required on the part of the parents to help the child cope with disorder. Stress reducing activities such as yoga and martial arts have been found to have great effects in improving the muscle coordination. Moreover, constantly encouraging the child during his slow progress on the road to recovery will work wonders in the fight against this ailment.

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