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Spastic Cerebral Palsy
by Jason Gluckman
Cerebral Palsy is a crippling brain disorder that affects thousands of newborns children around the world each year. With no definite permanent cure known as of yet, the ones affected by the disorder tend to suffer for their entire life. There are several types of Cerebral Palsy that can occur in humans. Among them, "Spastic Cerebral Palsy" is the most common one, contributing to over 70% of the cases.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy is the stiffening of a group of muscles, making movement difficult. In a normal case, all muscles function in pairs. Each has two sets of nerves, ones that send the signal to the brain and other that receives the signal. Both work in tandem and ensure free movement.
In the case of a patient of spastic Cerebral Palsy, both sets of nerves become active together, flooding the nervous system with messages. A traffic jam of signals is created, leading to tenseness in the muscles, which in turn causes the muscles to malfunction. The muscles in the affected area become stiff and if they are forced to stretch, they may cause sudden jerky movements.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy can be divided into 5 types, depending on the body part affected. Quadriplegia, Triplegia, Diplegia, Hemiplegia and Monoplegia are the different conditions of Cerebral Palsy, ranging from all four limbs and torso to just a single limb.
Unlike other Cerebral Palsy conditions, spastic Cerebral Palsy can get aggravated over a period of time. Unless treated, it can lead to permanent disabilities such as uncontrollable shaking, loss of bladder control, or a ‘clasp-knife' situation, where they are unable to let go of something they have held on to.
Since rigidity of muscles is the main cause of this disorder, timely treatment can help avoid its permanence. Several physical therapies such as crawling are known to have worked wonders for children suffering from spastic Cerebral Palsy. Finally, apart from helping the limbs, raising the person's self-esteem is the final step in the battle against Cerebral Palsy.
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