CEREBRAL PALSY SYMPTOMS

This condition is classified into four main categories each dispaying different cerebral palsy symptomsas follows

• Spastic CP which affects over half of those with the condition and is defined by muscle tone being too high or tight which causes stiff and jerky movements resulting in difficulty in moving position or holding or releasing objects. Some children also suffer from hemiparetic tremors, in which uncontrollable shaking affects the limbs on one side of the body and impairs normal movement. Spastic CP is classified according to the number of limbs involved as follows:

  • Spastic Quadriplegia - all 4 of the limbs are involved
  • Spastic Diplegia - either both arms or both legs are involved
  • Spastic Hemiplegia - one side of the body is affected, usually the arm more than the leg
  • Spastic Triplegia - 3 limbs are involved, usually one leg and both arms
  • Spastic Monoplegia - 1 limb is affected, usually an arm

• Ataxic CP which affects less than 10% of CP sufferers is characterized by low muscle tone and poor coordination causing limbs to appear floppy and loose. Affected people often walk unsteadily and have difficulty carrying out precise actions requiring acute motor skills. There is often difficulty reaching for objects because of affected depth perception and intention tremors may occur that worsen as the individual gets nearer to the desired object.
• Athetoid CP affects less than 20% of people who suffer from this condition and is defined by muscles which change from floppy to tense as a result of mixed muscle tone. The muscles in the face or tongue are sometimes affected resulting in involuntary grimacing and tongue thrusting which is known as ‘dysarthria’. This condition causes difficulty with control and coordination of movement which often increases during stress and disappears during sleep. There may be involuntary, purposeless movements which interfere with speaking, feeding, reaching, grasping, and other skills requiring coordinated movements. Athetoid cerebral palsy may occur as a result of injury to the brain due to a neonatal condition known as ‘kernicterus’.
• Mixed CP occurs when there is a combination of some or all of the above cerebral palsy symptoms in the same person and occurs in about 10 percent of children who suffer from CP. The most common combination is athetoid/spastic-diplegic or athetoid/spastic-hemiplegic. The least common is athetoid/ataxic. Any combination of types can occur and it is possible to have a mixture of spastic, athetoid and ataxic.

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