Cerebral palsy is a disease that is understood by the inability to control muscle and general body movements in infants at an early age. Some disorders occur in the brain. Decreased oxygen levels, inflammations, and other brain damage are examples.  

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Treatment of Cerebral Palsy The brain structure, whose developmental stages continue, is damaged due to some congenital causes. Cerebral palsy occurs in infants during pregnancy, birth or the first years after birth. Problems such as muscle control, posture disorder and difficulty in movements are experienced.
The symptoms experienced by the patient vary depending on the extent of the damage in the brain and the region in which it is located. In some types of the disease, regression in the development of intelligence is observed. In addition, disturbances in the functioning of the sense organs are observed.

Cerebral Palsy and Its Causes

In terms of the frequency of the disease in our country, it is estimated to occur in 2 out of every 1000 babies. It is known to form in the womb before birth. It is more common in premature babies. Cerebral palsy is seen in infants as a result of deformation of some parts of the brain structure.
We can examine the causes of cerebral palsy in detail as follows;

Causes Related to the Prenatal Period: As long as the baby is in the mother’s womb, risks such as inflammation are effective. In risky pregnancy processes, the probability of bleeding and miscarriage is quite high. In addition, insufficient length of the intrauterine region leads to cerebral palsy.
Some abnormalities also occur after the mother’s experience of multiple pregnancies. In addition, women can have a variety of diseases that vary according to their current health status. Medicines used by specialist doctors for therapeutic purposes cause many diseases in infants.
There are various disorders that occur due to the structure of the placenta where the baby is located. These disorders threaten the health of the baby, whose development continues in the womb. At the same time, some genetic diseases that occur as a result of hereditary reasons can also trigger cerebral palsy.
Finally, some regressions are observed in the neurological development of the baby, which begins in the womb. It adversely affects the health status of the baby after birth. Cerebral palsy is one of the most known reasons for the progression of the disease. Especially in the following years, the functioning of the sense organs causes deterioration in walking and general movement.

• Causes Related to Birth: Hemoglobin, which plays an important role in blood circulation, differs in terms of type before and after birth in the baby. The brain structure can be damaged during the exchange of hemoglobin in the blood after birth. Accumulation of bilirubin in the body leads to disruption of brain functioning.
  Premature birth causes many diseases such as cerebral palsy in infants. Brain tissues may be damaged after a risky pregnancy during childbirth. The substances necessary for the decrease in the oxygen level and its development are insufficient. Congenital causes include partial paralysis, nervous system problems, and inflammation of various areas of the brain.
  Babies born with insufficient weight in terms of health and other factors related to premature birth play a role in the progression of the disease.
• Postnatal Causes: After birth, there may be developments that negatively affect the health of the baby. As a result of a person’s head being hit hard, the brain structure is damaged. Infection of the meninges, called meningitis, can occur. Another health problem that damages the brain is encephalitis, infection of the brain tissue. Any health problem that will deprive a person’s brain of oxygen causes cerebral palsy.

Cerebral Palsy Symptoms

Cerebral palsy, which usually occurs as a result of birth-related causes in infancy, needs to be diagnosed in the early period. At this point, the development process of the baby should be carefully followed by the family, especially the parents. There are some disorders that extend into childhood and adulthood. It becomes difficult to prevent orthopedic and neurological health problems of the person.
It negatively affects the quality of daily life. At the same time, there is a decline in the intellectual development of the brain. Conditions suspected of cerebral palsy are as follows;
Loss of control of the muscles around the mouth, swallowing and excessive salivation problems
There may be difficulties in the functioning of the feet and knees. It is seen that the patients walk in diagonal or asymmetrical ways.
As a result of the loss of strength in the muscles, balance and simultaneous movement problems are experienced.
Difficulty performing fine motor skills with fingers.
Actions performed by the muscles in the mouth structure, such as eating, cannot be performed.
Cerebral palsy patients carry out their basic activities by focusing on the left or right side of the body. In some patients, the same foot is used during walking and crawling. Similarly, there is difficulty in activities that require coordination of the hands.
Convulsions and seizures occur due to damage to brain functions.
There is a loss of power due to neurological problems in the functioning of the senses such as eyes, hearing and speech.
It is seen that the patient has difficulties in learning stages due to problems in brain development.
Muscle tissue is either soft or hard.
There may be delays in basic motor abilities. Examples include crawling, sitting, and movement of the arms.
Shivering, involuntary or slow-moving movements are among the symptoms of the disease.

Cerebral Palsy Treatment

There is no treatment method that completely cures the disease. There is a treatment plan that includes the practices of specialist doctors in various fields. The aim of these treatments is to minimize the movement limitations of patients in daily life as much as possible.

ORTHOPEDICS AND TRAUMATOLOGY SPECIALIST
prof. dr. hasan hilmi muratlı