Signs Of Cerebral Palsy
Signs Of Cerebral Palsy How To Understand The Symptoms
There are a number of signs of cerebral palsy. The condition can be brought about due to different causes which include problems associated with birth. Premature births can cause the condition. If babies do not get adequate supply of blood, oxygen and other nutrients during or before birth, it can lead to the same. If the brain gets serious infections such as meningitis or if there is serious head injury, cerebral palsy can also come about. The condition can also be inherited.
Signs Of Cerebral Palsy Photo by birdonthestreet via Flickr
It is worth to note that the exact cause of the condition can not be established in other cases. However, the signs of cerebral palsy tend to be common or similar in many patients. A major sign is where by a person might have physical problems. These also vary from one patient to another as the severity differs from one patient to another.
Physical problems are commonly associated with body movement and posture. A patient might have a hard time walking or carrying out physical activities comfortably. A person might walk with a limp or have no control of both legs thus making it hard to walk. Other patients have little or no control of hands thus making it hard to carry out certain physical activities or chores.
There are patients who might be able to talk but with a slur which makes it hard to comprehend what is being said. If one has no control of the tongue and mouth, then it might be difficult for them to speak or eat. Most of these signs vary from one person to another and they occur in varying degrees of severity.
Severe signs of cerebral palsy can cause about other conditions such as seizures. This also happens differently in different patients. People with serious brain problems might experience mental retardation.
Other physical signs of cerebral palsy in small children and babies can be seen in their posture. Sometimes the body is very floppy thus the baby might not be able to sit upright or support themselves comfortably. In other situations, the body might be very stiff. If there are problems associated with the spine, the baby might have a normal shape especially at the back which mostly interferes with posture.
Other signs associated with the condition are whereby babies are born with small jaw bones or a small head. It is also worth to note that the cause of cerebral palsy which varies from brain injury or defective births might not deteriorate over time. However, it is not uncommon for newsymptoms of cerebral palsy to appear. Sometimes the symptoms may change or even get worse as a child develops and gets older.
With signs of cerebral palsy, they might not be very clear right away. They only exhibit more strongly as the baby grows older. The condition can be diagnosed by a doctor based on several factors such as the medical history of how a child grows and develops. Sometimes a doctor might perform physical exam and other tests. It might take several months to find out if a baby has the condition.
