What is Cerebral Palsy?
Childpalsy.org was created to serve families with children who have suffered injuries during pregnancy, labor or delivery. We also cater to families with children who have suffered injuries after birth as a result of poor medical care. Learn more about Cerebral Palsy, as well as the other types of conditions associated with birth injuries.
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is brain damage. More specifically, it is a medical condition that affects control of the muscles. Cerebral refers to the head, while palsy refers to any condition that affects the control of the muscles or joints in the body. In other words, an injury to the brain may cause your child to lose the ability to control their muscles in a normal way. The severity of your child’s condition depends on where the injury occurred and how big the injury is.
How does it affect my child?
Cerebral Palsy affects the muscle tone in our bodies. Muscle tone is what keeps our bodies in certain positions. It gives us the ability to hold the weight of our head up, as well as our other extremities.
A child with Cerebral Palsy lack these abilities, and may not be able to walk, talk, eat or play as someone without Cerebral Palsy would. Children with CP are not able to change their muscle tone with ease, making their movements jerky and/or wobbly. In addition to muscle control, CP can affect your child’s coordination, posture, reflex, and balance. It can also impact their development of motor skills, gross motor skills, and oral motor functioning.
While Cerebral Palsy is not curable, it can be managed. Click here to learn more about living with Cerebral Palsy.
There are several other birth injuries that could be a result of medical negligence, including:
Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Athetoid (Dyskinetic) Cerebral Palsy
Mixed Cerebral Palsy
Quadriplegia
Hemiplegia
Diplegia
Brachial Plexus Palsy
Click here to learn more about other birth-related injuries.