CEREBRAL PALSY
C.P was first discovered in the year 1853 and it’s estimated that more than 17 million people globally are living with this disability. The first study was conducted by DR. John Little who happened to have been a victim of the same . Since prior to and the beginning of C.P, there has been numerous people who has greatly contributed to the disorder including in depth studies promoting public awareness and conducting experiments to help understand it better. Initially C.P was defined as a condition that might have been caused by abnormal development before birth process but through researches and studies done in the past several decades by scientists, it has been discovered that this causes only a small number of C.P cases World wide .
Cerebral Palsy is defined as a non-progressive ,neuromuscular disorder that is caused by abnormal development of the brain or damage to the developing brain that affects a child ability to control his/her muscles [affects posture, balance and coordination and movements ]. Although physicians can sometime diagnose the disorder shortly after birth, C.P can be very difficult to detect in infants as some infants will display symptoms of C.P but will not be having the disorder as the symptoms may mimic other health issues such as neurological diseases and Spinal Injuries and therefore it’s important to let your doctor test and diagnose your baby not only to determine if your child has C.P but for the sake of ruling out medical problems.
In some cultures , it’s believed that issues related to witchcraft are the causes of children born with disability but from the medical view , it’s known that cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the part of the brain that affects posture, balance and coordination and movement . C.P causes can be classified into two major categories -; Congenital C.P -This occurs when the brain damage or an abnormal brain development occurs before or during birth although in many cases ,the specific cause is unknown . The majority of C.P [85% -90%] is congenital. Acquired C.P -This occurs when the damage to the developing brain occurs after 28 days of life . It’s mainly caused by external factors such as traumatic Head injury or infections .
In conclusion, C.P has no cure but with proper management including and not limited to rightful positioning and early intervention , children with C.P can grow to live a productive fulfilling lives.
[THIS INFORMATION PROVIDES A GENERAL OVERVIEW ON C.P ]