Cerebral Palsy Research Paper

Cerebral Palsy is a term for a neurological or brain disorder that affects posture and movement. It is causes a loss of muscle control and coordination. People suffering from Cerebral Palsy have damage to the part of the brain that controls muscle tone. Muscle tone is the amount of resistance to movement in a muscle. During fetal life, birth and infancy damage is done to the motor areas of the brain. This can come in the form of radiation or lack of oxygen. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy does not occur until the age of about two or three in children. One out of 500 children is affected with the disorder. In the United States there are approximately 500,000 people that suffer from Cerebral Palsy. There are four classifications of Cerebral Palsy
In many individuals, limbs are in a weakened state or even paralyzed, which leads to under development of muscles in those limbs. Spasticity is the term that refers to increased tone or tension in a muscle. Spacticity negatively affects muscles and joints of the extremities, causing irregular movements that are particularly harmful in growing children. The known adverse effects of spasticity include inhibition of movement, inhibition of longitudinal muscle growth, inhibition of protein synthesis in muscle cells, limited stretching of muscles in daily activities, development of muscle and joint
A person with Cerebral Palsy may also have speech, sight, or hearing impairment, seizures, mental retardation, difficulties with perception and sensation, lack of bowel or bladder control, and difficulty feeding. According to Freeman Miller M.D. et al, "for some children, one of these other kinds of problems may dominate, and the Cerebral Palsy will be a relatively minor issue. For example, a child with CP who is able to walk and who has few physical limitations but is severely retarded mentally, the focus of care will be on the mental disability rather than on the Cerebral Palsy."