Palsy Symptoms.

Cerebral palsy or syndrome (CP) is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious neurological disorders that cause physical disability in human development, specifically the human movement and posture.

The incidence in developed countries is approximately 2-2.5 per 1000 live births. Incidence has not declined over the last 60 years despite medical advances (such as electro-fetal monitoring) because these advances allow extremely low birth weight and premature babies to survive. Cerebral refers to the brain and palsy refers to disorder of movement. CP is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the young developing brain and can occur during pregnancy (about 75 percent), during childbirth (about 5 percent) or after birth (about 15 percent) up to about age three. Eighty percent of causes are unknown; for the small number where cause is known this can include infection, malnutrition, and/or head trauma in very early childhood. It is a non-progressive disorder; meaning the brain damage does not worsen, but secondary orthopedic deformities are common. There is no known cure for CP. Medical intervention is limited to the treatment and prevention of complications possible from CP's consequences. Overall, CP ranks among the most costly congenital conditions in the world to manage effectively.

CP is divided into four major classifications to describe the different movement impairments. These classifications reflect the area of brain damaged. The four major classifications are:

* Spastic
* Athetoid/Dyskinetic
* Ataxic
* Mixed

In 30 percent of all cases of CP, the spastic form is found along with one of the other types. There are a number of other minor types of CP, but these are the most common. Onset of arthritis and osteoporosis can occur much sooner in adults with CP. Further research is needed on adults with CP, as the current literature body is highly focused on the pediatric patient. CP's resultant motor disorder(s) are sometimes, though not always, accompanied by "disturbances of sensation, cognition, communication, perception, and/or behavior, and/or by a seizure disorder” (Rosenbaum et al, 2005).