Cerebral Palsy

Introduction & Overview

Cerebral palsy is a group of non-progressive neurological disorders appearing in infancy or early childhood which permanently affect body movements and muscle coordination. The literal meaning of the term cerebral palsy is impairment of motor function by the motor area of the brain’s outer layer i.e., cerebral cortex.

Cerebral palsy is due to abnormal development of the cerebral motor cortex during fetal growth or due to brain injury either before, during or after birth. However, the damage is beyond repair and the resulting disabilities are permanent (1).

It is important to note that limbs affected due to cerebral palsy are not paralyzed and can experience pain, heat, cold and pressure. “The degree of physical disability experienced by a person with CP is not an indication of his level of intelligence” (2).

Every year about 10,000 babies born in the US develop cerebral palsy and approximately 800,000 children and adults are living in the US with one or more symptoms of cerebral palsy (1).

Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com

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