What is Cerebral Palsy?

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy is damage to the brain and nervous system either in the womb, during birth or up to 2 years after the child is born. This can cause impaired muscle co-ordination and other symptoms such as difficulty speaking.

Here are the some of the causes of Cerebral Palsy:

• One in ten cases of Cerebral Palsy result from Asphyxiation. Asphyxiation is damage to the brain resulting from lack of oxygen, this can occur during a difficult birth.
• Damage to the brains' white matter can cause Cerebral Palsy. White matter is comprised of nerve fibres which are responsible for passing messages throughout the brain. This type of Cerebral Palsy is caused by lack of blood flow or oxygen resulting in death of brain tissue. This can occur from an infection caught by the mother, a caesarean section or a pre-mature birth.
• An abnormal development such as mutations, infections or trauma to the brain can causes Cerebral Palsy. This change can affect normal development.
• A bleed on the brain (intracranial haemorrhage) or an obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain (stroke) can cause Cerebral Palsy. This can occur from injury, weakness in the baby's blood vessels, the mother having high blood pressure, or the mother having a pelvic inflammatory disease.

To book an assessment or for more information please email office@manchesterneurophysio.co.uk call 0161 883 0066 .