Can Cerebral Palsy be Treated?

To treat the many different effects of Cerebral Palsy, physicians might recommend various forms of treatment. Here are some of the most common ones:

• Physical Therapy: Normally, physical therapy is the most basic and fundamental treatment that Cerebral Palsy patients receive. The overall goal is to increase motor skills but it can be tailored to the person's particular needs by emphasizing balance, strength, agility, and other skills.


• Occupational Therapy: After certain progress has been made in physical therapy, Cerebral Palsy patients frequently move on to work on occupational therapy. This treatment attempts to specialize their ability to complete specific tasks like writing, moving various object, and other common objectives in daily life. Helping them do more than just survive, occupational therapy attempts to empower patients.


• Medication: Many of the problems that Cerebral Palsy causes in the human body can be alleviated with medication. For instance, seizures, spastic moves, constipation, urinary disorders, and other effects can be ameliorated with prescriptions. To understand how medication can help, speak with a physician.


• Surgery: In certain situations, surgery can reduce the effects of Cerebral Palsy. It is not for every person with this condition though. Normally, those with spastic Cerebral Palsy are helped the most by it. When they do recommend surgery, doctors attempt tendon removal, osteotomy, muscle enlargement, and neurectomy among other procedures.


• Speech Therapy: Cerebral Palsy quite frequently affects a person's speech patterns. Speech therapists can work with children to help them articulate and pronounce words better. Indirectly, this will also help kids with other issues like drooling, breathing, and even eating. Speech therapy is one of the most useful treatments for anybody suffering from Cerebral Palsy.

Outside of figuring out what they can do if their child or someone that they know gets Cerebral Palsy, many parents want to know what they can do to prevent the condition in the first place. In fact, many causes of Cerebral Palsy in kids are preventable no matter if it arises before, during, or after birth. However, understanding how to prevent it first requires some explanation of the different kinds of Cerebral Palsy. Here they are:

• Congenital: This variety of Cerebral Palsy occurs when the child suffers damage to the brain before birth.


• Acquired: This brand of Cerebral Palsy happens when a child's brain is injured after birth and can come about from an accident, illness, or attack.


• Genetically Predisposed: This type of Cerebral Palsy comes from the genetic code of a child.

As you can see, most instances of Cerebral Palsy could be prevented if the life and health of the mother and child are better protected. With regard to the last form of his condition, genetic predisposition, some families choose to adopt if they know their child would be at risk to this syndrome. However, there are other ways you can learn about and protect against Cerebral Palsy. To understand these issues in more detail, speak with your personal physician or call our offices.

Certainly, your doctors should be on the lookout for Cerebral Palsy just as much as you will be. But how do doctors diagnose Cerebral Palsy? Normally, they employ a combination of devices to detect and identify the condition in any child. For instance, they test and monitor a child's development, reflexes, and speech abilities. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests these tests should be administered at nine months, eighteen months, and twenty-four months.

Doctors might also utilize advanced medical examinations to find Cerebral Palsy. Some of these exams may include CT scans, MRI's, EEG's, or a combination of any number of these or others as well. Of course, there are other ways that physicians and hospitals try to find this condition in children but these are some of the most prevalent means used.