Signs, diagnosis and treatment of cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy in newborns: symptoms How does cerebral palsy manifest in a child

Cerebral palsy signs are a number of symptoms that indicate functional disorders against the background of structural and morphological brain damage. In this case, violations relate specifically to certain functions for which the area of the brain that has undergone pathological changes is responsible. Cerebral palsy is always accompanied by certain disorders of the human motor sphere, which are not progressive in nature. This means that a child with cerebral palsy experiences difficulties with a certain category of movements, coordination, and orientation in space. The shape and nature of the disorders are directly related to the area of the brain, the neurons of which were damaged.

Classification of forms of cerebral palsy

Depending on the main cause of cerebral palsy and the localization of brain tissue disorders, several forms of the disease are distinguished according to a number of signs:

Spastic diplegia is one of the most common and common forms of cerebral palsy. With this type of disease, there is a bilateral violation of muscle functions, while the legs, arms and face are more affected to a lesser extent. This form is characterized by skeletal deformities and pathological changes in the joints. The most common cause of spastic diplegia is the birth of a child with significant prematurity. Often, the disease is accompanied by a sharp decrease in the motor function of all four limbs, sometimes partial or complete paralysis (tetraplegia). Against the background of the pathology of the cranial nerves, disorders of speech, auditory and visual functions may develop. With this form of cerebral palsy, if there are no serious violations of intellectual development and significant violations of the motor function of the hands, children have the highest chances of social adaptation and self-service.
Double hemiplegia is one of the most complex and severe forms of cerebral palsy, the cause of its development is most often chronic fetal hypoxia during gestation or early infancy (birth trauma). With this form, such disorders develop as spastic paralysis of all limbs, severe deformities of the trunk, stiffness of the joints, which begin to manifest themselves at a very early age. Against the background of motor dysfunctions, in about half of the diagnosed cases, there are serious disorders of mental development - cognitive (poor memory, lack of ability to cognize, understanding the world around), speech, visual, auditory disorders, pathological changes in facial muscles, weak swallowing, sucking, chewing reflexes. Often, children with this form of the disease suffer from epilepsy. The prognosis for such patients is disappointing; pathologies of motor functions in combination with impaired mental development lead to inability to self-service.
The hyperkinetic form is most often caused by hemolytic disease of the newborn, the cause of which is an immunological conflict for the Rh factor or blood group of the mother and child. With a strong form of the disease, the newborn is intoxicated with the mother's blood antibodies directed against the child's erythrocytes. The disease is characterized by excessive motor reactions of the muscles, which are caused by a violation of muscle tone. Skeletal deformities in this form of the disease are absent or mild. In children, various types of hyperkinesis are observed - involuntary movements from slow worm-like to fast intermittent ones, spasms of the muscles of the face, cramps of the limbs. Muscle tone can be fickle, ranging from lethargy and weakness at rest to hypertonicity when moving. Often, with this form of cerebral palsy, hearing impairment and pathology of the motor function of the eyes are observed. Intellectually, such children can develop within the normal range, only the verbal function of communication is disturbed with severe dysarthria (violation of pronunciation, speech breathing, articulation, tempo-rhythmic organization of speech).
The atonic-astatic form is most often the result of birth trauma, chronic hypoxia and fetal abnormalities during pregnancy. In most cases, this form of the disease is caused by damage to the tissues of the cerebellum, sometimes to the cerebral cortex in the frontal region. Children with this form of cerebral palsy are characterized by symptoms such as very low muscle tone, incoordination of movements, impaired coordination, and a weak ability to maintain balance while walking. Sometimes speech disorders, intellectual pathologies of varying severity are also observed - from mental retardation to severe forms of oligophrenia.
The hemiplegic form is caused by a hematoma or hemorrhage with damage to one of the cerebral hemispheres, against the background of which one-sided lesion of the limbs develops. Hemiparesis (muscle weakening or partial paralysis) of the right or left extremities can be accompanied by spasms and seizures. In most cases, the motor function of the hand is more impaired. Depending on the degree of damage to the cerebral hemisphere, pathologies of speech function and mental retardation can also be observed.

Signs of early manifestation of cerebral palsy

The manifestations of cerebral palsy include increased excitability and motor disinhibition of nerve impulses, excessive activity and anxiety of muscle reactions, which leads to involuntary and uncontrolled movements. Against the background of increased activity of one muscle group, stiffness and paralysis of other motor functions can be observed. In addition, cerebral palsy is often accompanied by disorders and disorders of mental reactions that provoke anomalies in the development of speech, hearing, vision and functional disorders of the digestive and urinary systems. Cerebral palsy is often accompanied by epileptic seizures.

Symptoms of cerebral palsy can appear in a child immediately after birth, that is, in the first weeks of a newborn's life. However, it often happens that the manifestation of signs of the disease occurs gradually, which greatly complicates the timely diagnosis of cerebral palsy. It is important to recognize them as early as possible in order to take adequate measures to treat and help the child.

It is quite difficult to diagnose cerebral palsy in newborn children, therefore, when a child develops symptoms such as sudden convulsions, tremors in the body, a sharp muscle contraction, or vice versa, extremely weak motor activity of the limbs, inability to fix a gaze, intermittent tense or weak breathing, violation of the sucking reflex, parents need consult a pediatrician and pediatric neurologist.

One of the first manifestations of cerebral palsy in infants is that their natural abilities begin to appear much later. Symptomatically, this is characterized by the following symptoms:

Delayed motor development - the belated appearance of the ability to raise and hold the head, the development of the skill to roll over from back to stomach and back, lack of purposeful movements, if desired, to reach an object (toy), late development of the ability to sit and hold the back. In the future, children with cerebral palsy have problems with the development of skills to crawl, stand and walk.
In children with cerebral palsy, reflexes, which are inherent in young infants, persist much longer. For example, this refers to a situation when a child over six months has a grasping reflex. Normally, this reflex is already absent in children 4-5 months of age.
Muscle tone disorders. Very often, at the initial stage of cerebral palsy, such phenomena as excessive relaxation or, on the contrary, increased tension of individual muscles or muscle groups can be observed. With this condition of the muscles, the limbs of the child can assume an incorrect unnatural position. Excessive muscle relaxation in cerebral palsy is manifested in the inability to move normally, swing one or more limbs, and the inability to maintain the natural position of the body. Increased tension leads to stiffness and persistent muscle tone, which causes the child's body to assume a forced unnatural position. A typical example of such a symptom is arms or legs crossed like scissors.
Unilateral limb activity. This can be seen when the child consistently uses only one hand for manipulation. With normal development, children under one year old, if they want to reach an object, use both hands equally, while this factor does not depend on which side of the baby's brain is dominant. That is, it does not matter if he is right-handed or left-handed, in infancy he uses both hands with the same activity. If this is not the case, then this factor in itself can be considered alarming.

At the early (up to 5 months) and initial residual (from 6 months to 3 years) stages of cerebral palsy, pathologies of muscle tone provoke violations of the child's motor abilities. This is manifested by the following symptoms:

Excessive harshness and suddenness of movements;
Uncontrollable and completely aimless movements;
Unnaturally slow and worm-like movements.

Often, even in infancy, children with cerebral palsy show such pathological signs as cramps of the limbs, tremors of individual muscles. This type of violation affects about 30% of children with cerebral palsy.

Late residual stages of cerebral palsy - symptoms

Late stages of cerebral palsy are observed in older children, starting from 3 years. On the basis of already formed disorders, deformities, limited mobility and stiffness of joints, spasticity and pathological degenerations of muscle tissues, static disorders are established. They result in paralytic and hyperkinetic syndromes.

Late symptoms of cerebral palsy include:

Skeleton deformations. This type of disorder is observed in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Due to improper movement and imbalance of the muscles, the process of bone formation changes pathologically. This manifests itself in the form of curvatures, thickening of bones and joints.
Joint contracture. Stiffness, deformity and pathological changes in the articular tissue are caused by inadequate load distribution. In some cases, certain joints atrophy and lose mobility due to impaired muscle tone (myogenic contractures).
Athetosis. Constant uncontrollable wriggling of the limbs, worm-like movements from one or both sides, leading to an unnatural position and deformation (of the hands, feet).
Ataxia. Typical coordination disorders and inability to maintain static or motor balance.
Muscle tone pathologies of varying severity. With reduced muscle tone (hypotension), weakness and lethargy of movements are observed. With increased tone (hypertonicity) - spasms, convulsions, tremors.
Hyperkinesis. Involuntary, uncontrollable muscle contractions that cause abnormal movements in certain parts of the body - arms, legs, face.
Maxillofacial deformities, dentition disorders. They arise as one of the forms of deformation of the skeletal bones of the skull, develop as a result of dysfunctions of the muscles of the face and other secondary factors of cerebral palsy.
Delayed mental and mental development. It can manifest itself in different forms depending on the type and severity of brain tissue damage - impaired spatial perception, disorders of the emotional-volitional sphere, difficulty concentrating and switching attention, low memory capacity, lack of interest and motivation to learn.

In addition to the above-described signs, it is important to note violations of visual functions (strabismus, optic nerve atrophy, myopia), hearing and speech development. In severe forms, functional disorders of the processes of urination and bowel movements are also possible.

Cerebral palsy - the main causes of development

The causes of the disease in the overwhelming majority of cases are provoked by complications of the course of pregnancy and pathologies of the first weeks of a baby's life. The causes of cerebral palsy primarily include serious illnesses and pathological conditions that a woman suffered during pregnancy. The first group includes various infectious diseases that lead to intrauterine infection of the fetus. They are especially dangerous during the formation of brain structures.

The second group of reasons provoking morphological and structural changes in the fetal cerebral cortex during pregnancy include craniocerebral trauma, falls, strokes with the risk of brain injury in a child.

The main reasons for the occurrence include the following factors:

Prematurity and, as a consequence, underdevelopment of the brain;
Chronic fetal hypoxia, provoking oxygen starvation of the brain;
Severe toxicosis;
Severe infectious diseases;
Lack of vitamins during intrauterine development;
Severe chronic systemic diseases of the mother;
Incompatibility of the blood of the mother and the fetus for the Rh factor or group;
Genetic predisposition (hereditary factor);
Poisoning with toxic substances, heavy metals, medical products.

The causes of postpartum brain tissue disorders are most often associated with severe prolonged labor, birth trauma, asphyxia and infection of the infant in the first days of his life.

Benefits of osteopathy in the treatment of cerebral palsy

Like any severe neurological pathology, cerebral palsy is treated in a complex way with the use of drug therapy, physiotherapy, massage techniques and physiotherapy exercises. Most of the developed methods of traditional medicine are aimed at relieving complications, improving the blood supply to the central nervous system, as well as correcting the pathological motor stereotype.

Surgical treatment is used to eliminate severe deformities of the joints and bones. However, all these methods help to eliminate only the consequences and complications of the disease. It is worth noting that many of these treatments have a number of side effects and can be quite painful for a child.

Unlike classical medicine, osteopathic techniques make it possible to act directly on the causes of certain disorders, thanks to which they always have a much more effective result. Osteopathy classification:

Structural osteopathy - this complex of techniques is used in the treatment of various diseases of the musculoskeletal system and musculoskeletal system, both with limited and unrestricted mobility.
Craniosacral osteopathy is the use of various techniques for the treatment of neurological pathologies, including in children with impaired motor-sensory development, mental retardation and problems of social adaptation.
Visceral osteopathy is a set of measures for influencing the internal organs and functional systems of the body.

Methods of structural and craniosacral osteopathy are used to treat children with motor dysfunctions provoked by deformation of the skeleton, trunk and joints, as well as pathologies of muscle tone. In case of pathological complications of the functions of internal organs, the methods of visceral osteopathy are used.

One of the important advantages of osteopathy is rightly considered the possibility of early diagnosis of diseases of the nervous system and damage to brain tissue. Even modern neurological diagnostic techniques can reveal pathology from a certain age of the child, and an osteopath can distinguish between disorders at the stage of the earliest development.

When diagnosing the nature and causes of disorders, the osteopath identifies specific areas of damage and develops an individual course and an accurate treatment regimen for each patient. For example, when blocking a specific muscle group, techniques are initially used to relieve tension in muscle fibers or pinch nerve endings. Relaxation provides an opportunity to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to damaged tissues. In the future, techniques are used to restore normal blood supply and nutrition to nerve tissues.

For each type of disorder in osteopathy, specific methods of treatment and recovery have been developed. If a child at an early age develops such disorders as late physical or mental development, reflex pathologies, motor visual and auditory abnormalities, then osteopathic methods can help to timely act on the causes, up to their complete elimination.

The sooner the child receives help, the higher the chances of normal development and further socialization. An osteopathic doctor always cooperates with other narrow specialists - a neurologist, psychiatrist, ophthalmologist, orthopedist. The most effective result is obtained by a combination of methods of classical medicine and osteopathy.

Help for pregnant women and prevention of possible pathologies

Any diseases and ailments of a woman during pregnancy, from headaches to systemic chronic pathologies, can have a negative impact on the development of the fetus.

Osteopathic methods can significantly improve the condition of the expectant mother and eliminate the threat to the child. The course of osteopathic treatment improves prognosis, makes the pregnant woman feel better and significantly reduces the development of complications, both during gestation and during labor.

An osteopath should be consulted for symptoms such as:

Drawing pains in the lower abdomen;
Increased tone of the uterus;
Threat of miscarriage and hypoxia;
Headaches and arterial pressure disorders;
Swelling of the face and limbs;
Breathing disorders, shortness of breath;
Back pain, lower back, spine, pelvic bones;
Stress, tendency to irritability or depression;
Digestive disorders, heartburn, heaviness in the stomach, constipation;
Severe toxicosis, especially in the later stages.

Osteopathic methods are effective in preparing for childbirth, they help to improve the mobility of the pelvic bones, harmonious preparation of the cervix for labor. At any stage of pregnancy, an osteopathic doctor is able to eliminate spasms of the diaphragm caused by tension and blockage due to the growing uterus.

Osteopathic methods are an effective system that allows you to act on the cause of any disorders in the body. They are absolutely safe and have no side effects, which makes it possible to use them at any stage of pregnancy, as well as in the treatment of newborns from the first days of life. Prevention of cerebral palsy is recommended starting from the first trimester of pregnancy and at the first manifestations of the abnormal development of the baby.

Causes of infantile cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy is a whole group of childhood diseases with pathologies of the central nervous system, impaired coordination of speech, movement, delayed intellectual development, dysfunction of the muscular and motor systems. As the analysis has shown, in most cases it is impossible to single out only one cause that entails the onset of cerebral palsy. Very often, such a disease is caused by a combination of several negative factors at once, manifested both during childbirth and during pregnancy.

Many researchers have data that brain damage begins during intrauterine development of the fetus in about eighty percent of cases of cerebral palsy. Intrauterine pathology can be further aggravated by intrapartum. The cause of this disease cannot be established in about every third case. Modern medicine knows more than four hundred factors that can affect the course of intrauterine development.

Exposure to the brain of a combination of harmful factors causes the appearance of cerebral pathology in about 70-80% of cases. In many children, the cause of the disease is the pathology of the mother's pregnancy (various infections, impaired placental circulation, toxicosis), which can lead to insufficient development of the structures of the brain, especially those parts of it that are responsible for maintaining body balance and the formation of reflex mechanisms.

As a result, the distribution of muscle tone in the skeleton is incorrect, pathological motor reactions begin. Birth injuries caused by types of obstetric pathology (abnormal structure of the pelvis and a narrow pelvis of the mother, rapid or prolonged labor, weakness of labor) only in a small number of cases are the only cause that leads to brain damage in the fetus.

The severity of childbirth, in most cases, is determined by the pathology already existing in the child, formed as a result of his intrauterine damage. Hemolytic disease of the newborn, also called "kernicterus", can also cause cerebral palsy. This jaundice can be caused by various mechanisms - liver failure of the newborn, incompatibility of the blood of the fetus and the mother according to the Rh factor or group.

In addition, chronic or acute diseases in the mother are an extremely unfavorable factor - first of all, rubella, diabetes mellitus, obesity, anemia, heart defects, and hypertension can be attributed to them. Also, perinatal risk factors include taking certain medications during pregnancy, such as tranquilizers, and some activities related to professional activities - physical trauma, psychological discomfort, alcoholism.

The influence of various infectious agents on the fetus, especially of viral origin, has recently been given considerable importance in the etiology of infantile cerebral palsy. Violation of the normal course of pregnancy - immunological incompatibility between the fetus and the mother, threats of interruption, toxicosis - are also negative factors. Complication of childbirth. In this case, it should be borne in mind that if the child has a pathology of intrauterine development, then childbirth often has a protracted and difficult course.

At the same time, conditions are created for the appearance of asphyxia and mechanical trauma to the head, which can be attributed to secondary factors that cause additional disorder in the initially damaged brain. But many researchers attribute preterm birth to the factors that most contribute to the development of cerebral palsy. It is worth noting that with cerebral palsy, males are predominantly affected. On average, in boys, cerebral palsy occurs 1.3 times more often and is more severe than in girls.

Forms of infantile cerebral palsy

The classification of infantile cerebral palsy is based on the nature and prevalence of movement disorders. There are five types of such violations:

1. Spasticity - increased muscle tone (its severity decreases with repeated movements).

2. Athetosis is a constant involuntary movement.

3. Rigidity - tense, dense muscles, constantly resisting passive movements.

4. Ataxia is an imbalance accompanied by frequent falls.

5. Tremors or tremors of the limbs.

In about 85% of cases, there is an athetoid or spastic type of disorder. By localization, there are four forms:

1. Monoplegic (one limb is involved).

2. Hemiplegic (full or partial involvement of both limbs on only one side of the body).

3. Diplegic (involvement of either both lower or both upper limbs).

4. Quadriplegic (full or partial involvement of all four limbs).

Cerebral palsy symptoms

Symptoms of this ailment can be detected immediately after the birth of a child, or they can gradually manifest themselves in infancy. In the latter case, it is very important to identify and diagnose them as soon as possible. Doctors advise all parents to keep a special diary of the child's development, where the main achievements of the baby will be indicated. It is very important for parents to monitor the manifestation of absolute reflexes that arise in a child after birth, and then gradually fade away.

For example, the automatic walking reflex and the palmar-oral reflex should disappear in 1-2 months, but if they persist up to 4-6 months, then dysfunction of the nervous system can be suspected. In addition, it is very important to monitor: the sequence and timing of speech development and the development of motor skills, the development of playing skills (for example, lack of interest in toys). It is necessary to note the following situations: lack of contact with the mother, nodding the head, performing involuntary movements, freezing in one position.

Pediatricians are not always in a hurry to diagnose infantile cerebral palsy. In many cases, based on the detected specific symptoms (suppression of reflexes, increased excitability, and so on), a child under one year old is diagnosed with encephalopathy. The children's brain has great compensatory capabilities that can completely reverse the consequences of brain damage.

If a child older than a year does not speak, does not walk, does not sit, has mental abnormalities, and doctors confirm the stability of neurological symptoms, then cerebral palsy is diagnosed. Movement disorders (limb tremor, ataxia, rigidity, athetosis, spasticity) are the main symptoms of cerebral palsy.

In addition, there may be violations of the organs of hearing and vision, changes in orientation in space, perception, epilepsy, speech development disorders, learning problems, delayed emotional and mental development, functional disorders of the urinary system and gastrointestinal tract. If you find the above symptoms, you should immediately contact a specialist.

Signs of infantile cerebral palsy

In a newborn, the signs of cerebral palsy are influenced by the location of pathological foci and the measure of brain damage. These signs can be both quite obvious and noticeable only for specialists. External manifestations can appear in the form of clumsiness, or as strong muscle tension, which made it impossible for the child to move independently.

In an infant or an older child, early signs of cerebral palsy can be identified using the skill table for certain ages - walking and crawling, sitting, rolling over, grabbing, tracking movements. Below are some of the external symptoms that make it possible to suspect the disease of infantile cerebral palsy (the final diagnosis can only be made by a qualified specialist):

· Anxiety and poor sleep in the child;

· Child lagging behind in physical development (he started to crawl late, raise his head, roll over);

· There are gaze stops, flinching;

· Disorders of muscle tone: by 1.5 months, hypertonicity of the arms does not decrease, and by four months - of the legs. The child's muscles are excessively sluggish or, conversely, tight, movements are slow or sharp;

· There is a slowdown in emotional development (at one month the child does not smile);

· Body asymmetry. For example, one arm is relaxed and the other is tense. Or a visual difference in limbs, for example, in the thickness of the arms or legs.

If such signs are detected, you should seek qualified medical advice.

Diagnostics of the infantile cerebral palsy

It is possible that symptoms of cerebral palsy are not found or are not present at birth. Therefore, the attending physician observing the newborn should carefully examine the child so as not to miss these symptoms. Nevertheless, overdiagnosis of cerebral palsy is not worth it, since in children of this age, many motor disorders are transient. In many cases, the final diagnosis can be made a couple of years after birth, when it is possible to notice movement disorders.

Diagnosis of this disease is based on monitoring the presence of abnormalities in the child's intellectual and physical development, test data, as well as instrumental research methods (in this case, magnetic resonance imaging - MRI is performed). It includes:

· Collection of all information about the medical history of the baby, not excluding the details of the pregnancy. The presence of various delays in the development of the child is often reported by the parents themselves, or it is revealed during examination in child care facilities.

· Physical examination is essential to detect signs of cerebral palsy. During it, a qualified specialist assesses how long the reflexes of newborns persist in the child in comparison with normal periods. In addition, the assessment of muscle function, hearing function, posture, vision is carried out.

· Samples for detecting the latent form of the disease. Various analyzes and developmental questionnaires can help determine the degree of developmental delays.

· An MRI may also be done to identify an abnormality in the brain.

The complex of such diagnostic methods allows you to make a final diagnosis. If the diagnosis is unclear, additional tests may be prescribed to exclude possible other diseases and to assess the state of the brain.
They include: ultrasound examination of the brain, computed tomography of the head, additional questionnaires. After the diagnosis of infantile cerebral palsy, to identify other diseases that may be at the same time with cerebral palsy, the child undergoes an additional examination.

Cerebral Palsy Treatment

First of all, the treatment of cerebral palsy is carried out with the help of training of mental and physical functions, which make it possible to reduce the severity of the neurological defect. Occupational therapy and physical therapy improve muscle function. Hearing correction and speech therapy help the patient's speech development. Various orthopedic aids and braces make it easier to maintain balance and walk.

Long-term therapy should include special education programs, development of communication skills, psychological counseling. Treatment of infantile cerebral palsy also includes courses of special massage and a complex of physiotherapy exercises. On the recommendation of doctors, drugs are used to lower muscle tone and drugs that improve the nutrition of the nervous tissue and microcirculation. The earlier a course of treatment and rehabilitation programs for cerebral palsy is started, the better.

Thanks to this, large deviations in the development of the child can be avoided. All treatments and medications should only be prescribed by qualified professionals.

Teaching parents to restore muscle movement:

A deeply premature baby. Full restoration of Bogdan:

Education: In 2005 he completed an internship at the IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and received a diploma in neurology. In 2009 completed postgraduate studies in the specialty "Nervous diseases".

Cerebral palsy (cerebral palsy) is a pathology of the child's motor activity that appears due to brain damage during pregnancy, childbirth or infancy. The perception of the external world, the ability to communicate, in most cases - the psyche are impaired. The disease is difficult to treat, but does not progress. There are different types of cerebral palsy, in which the disease proceeds with characteristic features.

Most often, the symptoms of the disease make themselves felt already during the first months of life.

How common is cerebral palsy?

According to world statistics, almost a quarter of cases of pathology of the nervous system in children (24%) are infantile cerebral palsy. Despite the development of medicine, pregnant women and newborn children continue to be the most vulnerable group of the population, subject to increased exposure to any stress factors.

Reasons for the development of cerebral palsy

The cause of infantile cerebral palsy is a violation of the transmission of the brain impulse to the muscles. It develops when brain cells are damaged in the early stages of development. This can happen both in utero and during childbirth or after birth.

During pregnancy

The body of a woman during pregnancy requires a sparing regimen, a more attentive attitude. Adverse factors can be detrimental to the development of the child:

exposure to radiation, toxic substances, drugs, alcohol, certain drugs;
serious illnesses of the expectant mother;
infections transferred during pregnancy;
oxygen starvation;
the course of pregnancy with complications;
incompatibility of the Rh factor in the blood of mom and baby.

During childbirth

Childbirth is not always smooth - doctors sometimes have to respond quickly to unforeseen situations. The development of cerebral palsy can be affected by:

fetal asphyxia (cord entanglement, prolonged labor, etc.);
birth injury.

After the baby is born

After the birth of a child, the living conditions of the mother and baby have a decisive influence on his body. The following situations are dangerous with brain damage:

the child's brain does not receive enough oxygen;
carcinogens enter the baby's body;
head trauma;
transferred infections.

How to recognize cerebral palsy in a child after 1 year

By the age of 12 months, a normally developing child already knows a lot. He rolls over, sits down, stands on his feet, tries to walk, utters individual words. The kid responds to his name, reacts emotionally to the world around him, communicates.

Of course, each baby has an individual pace of development. One child can walk with his feet or start talking earlier, the other later. However, the pathologies of the central nervous system are usually manifested in the aggregate.

Parents should be wary if, at the age of 1 year and older:

does not crawl and at the same time does not try to walk (some children do one thing: they either crawl for a long time, or walk right away);
cannot stand independently without support;
does not speak individual short words ("mom", "dad", "woof", etc.);
does not try to find a toy hidden in front of his eyes, does not reach for catchy things that interest him;
the limbs of the baby on one side of the body are more active than on the other;
the child has seizures.

Types of cerebral palsy

In world practice, there are several types (forms) of this disease. The differences between them consist in the symptomatology, degree and localization of CNS lesions.

Spastic tetraplegia

This is a severe form of cerebral palsy that develops due to a critical lack of oxygen. Because of this, there is a partial death of brain neurons, liquefaction of the structure of the nervous tissue. In half of the cases, epilepsy is observed. Other possible symptoms are disturbances in attention, speech, swallowing, intelligence, paresis of the muscles of the arms and legs. Visual impairment: atrophy of the optic nerve up to blindness, strabismus. Microcephaly (decrease in the size of the skull) is possible. With this form of the disease, a person can become disabled, incapable of basic self-care.

Spastic diplegia (Little's disease)

It is diagnosed most often - in 75% of cases of cerebral palsy. Prevalent in children born prematurely. The reasons are hemorrhages in the ventricles of the brain, changes in the structure of the brain tissue.

The muscles of the legs are mainly affected, while bilateral paresis develops. Already at an early age, joint contractures can form, the result of which is a change in the shape of the spine, joints, with a violation of their mobility.

This form of cerebral palsy is accompanied by a delay in mental development, speech and psyche. If the cranial nerves are involved, the child may develop mild mental retardation. However, children with Little's disease are able to learn. If the muscles of the arms can function normally, a person is able to adapt to life, to partially serve himself in everyday life, even to do a feasible job.

With this type of disease, the muscles of the limbs (more often the arms) are affected only on one side. The causes of hemiplegic cerebral palsy are usually hemorrhages, cerebral infarctions. A child with this form of the disease can learn to perform movements no worse than a healthy one, but it will take him much longer to acquire such skills. Disease can affect intelligence to varying degrees. It depends on how much the child will be able to learn and live among other people. Moreover, mental development is often not associated with movement disorders, despite the fact that the illness of such a person is betrayed by his gait. This is the so-called Wernicke-Mann pose, about which they say: "The leg squints, the hand asks." A person walks on tiptoe, transferring a straight leg forward, and the hand on the sore side is extended into the characteristic pose of a begging person.

With hemiplegic cerebral palsy, mental development, psyche, and speech can be impaired. Some patients suffer from epileptic seizures.

Diskinetic (hyperkinetic) form

The cause of this type of cerebral palsy is hemolytic disease of the newborn. The name comes from hyperkinesis (dyskinesis) - involuntary muscle movements in different parts of the body, characteristic of sick people. They are slow, stringy movements that can be accompanied by muscle contraction cramps. With the hyperkinetic form of cerebral palsy, paralysis and paresis are observed, including of the vocal cords, a violation of the normal posture of the trunk, limbs, difficulties with the pronunciation of sounds. At the same time, the intellect of sick children is normal, they are able to learn, develop normally. People with this form of cerebral palsy successfully graduate from school, even universities, find work, fully adapting to life in society. Their feature against the background of other people is only gait and speaking.

It occurs due to severe fetal hypoxia during childbirth, as well as injury to the frontal lobes of the brain. A characteristic feature of the manifestations is associated with decreased muscle tone and strong tendon reflexes. Speech disorders are often observed. Patients often have tremors of the arms and legs. All this is associated with paresis of the muscles of various parts of the body. A small or medium degree of mental retardation is characteristic.

Mixed or combined forms

Mixed forms of cerebral palsy are a combination of different forms of the disease. This is because the child, for some reason, has various structures of the brain affected.

Most often, there is a combination of spastic and dyskinetic forms of cerebral palsy, as well as hemiplegic and spastic diplegia.

In addition, depending on the age at which the child is diagnosed with the disease, cerebral palsy is divided into stages:

from birth to 6 months - early form;
from 6 to 2 years - initial residual form;
after 2 years - late residual form.

Diagnosis of cerebral palsy after a year

By the year with cerebral palsy, the baby usually has all the signs of the disease: non-progressive movement disorders, uncoordinated movements, developmental delay. Diagnostic methods, as a rule, are used to confirm the diagnosis, exclude diseases with a similar clinical picture, and clarify the form of the disease. However, it can be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis for a baby.

The child will be examined by a neurologist who will prescribe an MRI - magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The purpose of this procedure is to identify the affected areas of the brain. In addition, MRI helps to establish the presence of changes in the substance of the cerebral cortex and subcortex, as well as to determine their type. This can be, for example, a decrease in the density of a white matter.

Cerebral palsy treatment

There is no universal method for treating cerebral palsy. Therapy for cerebral palsy is aimed at improving motor activity, developing speech and correcting the child's psyche.

The sooner cerebral palsy is detected, the better results can be achieved when treating a child. The emotional and mental state of the baby's mother plays an important role.

Drug treatment

Cerebral palsy treatment is strictly individual. Medication is recommended according to the symptoms of the disease. Glutamic acid, Nootropil, Aminalon can be prescribed to support the nervous system. If the child is highly irritable, sedatives are indicated. B vitamins are often recommended for children with cerebral palsy, which improve the metabolism in the brain.

In some cases, it is required to reduce intracranial pressure, for which intravenous magnesium is prescribed. For this purpose, there are also medicines with diacarb and citral in the composition.

In the presence of a convulsive syndrome, the doctor will prescribe the baby such medicines as Luminal, Chlorocan, Benzonal. The normalization of muscle tone occurs due to the intake of Midocalm, Biclofen and other drugs.

But cerebral palsy cannot be cured with drugs alone. Treatment of the disease must be comprehensive. It is imperative that not only the symptoms are treated, but also the disease that became the root cause of the paralysis.

Massage and physiotherapy exercises

Therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy are an obligatory component of the treatment of cerebral palsy. To develop muscles, electrophoresis, mud and thermal baths, magneto-, balneo-, acupuncture are used.

With young children, exercise therapy, massage, any other procedure can be carried out as a game. It is important to praise the baby for the slightest achievement. This will help create a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere that will only contribute to a successful treatment.

Correction of incorrect postures

If you allow a child with cerebral palsy to stay in an uncharacteristic position, then over time it will be perceived by him as normal. In this case, a violation of the mobility of joints and muscles may occur, in which it will never be possible to take a pose of a healthy person. A child with cerebral palsy is gradually establishing the correct muscle stereotype, fixing normal postures in his memory. To do this, use special corrective overalls (for example, a "spiral" suit). Correct postures are fixed using splints, rollers, verticalizers and other devices.

In extreme cases, they resort to surgical treatment: tendon plastics, removal of joint contractures, neurosurgical operations.

Other corrective treatments

In a child with cerebral palsy, speech is most often impaired. To correct it, classes are conducted with a speech therapist. It is important to follow all the doctor's recommendations.

Animal-assisted therapy has become widespread - treatment with the help of animals. For the treatment of cerebral palsy in children, horseback riding, swimming with dolphins, and positive communication with animals are used.

A difficult but important issue is the social adaptation of a child with cerebral palsy. Among other things, communication is required both with healthy children and with children of their own kind. Working with a psychologist is also useful for parents and relatives of the baby: after all, a child who is sick for life in a family is a severe stress. Parents should prepare themselves for the fact that when the child grows up, it will be important for him to learn to accept himself and the world around him.

Complications

If you do not deal with the treatment and rehabilitation of the child, orthopedic complications of cerebral palsy may appear: scoliosis, kyphosis, stiffness of the joints and spine, pathological flexion of the limbs up to dislocation, foot deformity. This is due to the body being in the wrong postures.

As for the speech and psyche of the child, their condition may worsen due to life isolated from society. If there is no communication with peers, there is no one to talk to, then speech becomes “unnecessary”. And rejection by society can cause depressive states and a feeling of rejection, which will only increase the picture of the disease.

I have been living with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy (infantile cerebral palsy) since birth. More precisely - from the age of one (about then the doctors finally determined the name of what was happening to me). I graduated from a special school for children with cerebral palsy, and after 11 years I came to work there. 20 years have passed since then ... By the most conservative estimates, I know, more or less close, more than half a thousand cerebral palsy patients. I think this is enough to dispel the myths that those who are faced with this diagnosis for the first time tend to believe.

Myth one: cerebral palsy is a serious illness

It is no secret that many parents, having heard this diagnosis from a doctor, experience a shock. Especially in recent years, when the media more and more often talk about people with severe cerebral palsy - about wheelchair users with lesions of the arms and legs, slurred speech and constant violent movements (hyperkinesis). They do not even realize that many people with cerebral palsy speak normally and walk confidently, and in milder forms they do not stand out among healthy ones at all. Where does this myth come from?

Like many other conditions, Cerebral Palsy ranges from mild to severe. In fact, it is not even a disease, but a common cause of a number of disorders. Its essence is that during pregnancy or childbirth, certain areas of the cerebral cortex are affected, mainly those that are responsible for motor functions and coordination of movements. This is what causes cerebral palsy - a violation of the correct work of individual muscles up to the complete impossibility of controlling them. Doctors count more than 1000 factors that can trigger this process. Obviously, different factors have different consequences.

Traditionally, there are 5 main forms of cerebral palsy, plus mixed forms:

Spastic tetraplegia- the most severe form, when the patient, due to excessive muscle tension, is unable to control either his arms or legs and often experiences severe pain. Only 2% of people with cerebral palsy suffer from it (hereinafter, statistics are taken from the Internet), but they are most often talked about in the media.

Spastic diplegia- a form in which either the upper or lower extremities are severely affected. Legs are more often affected - a person walks with bent knees. On the contrary, Little's disease is characterized by severe damage to the hands and speech with relatively healthy legs. The consequences of spastic diplegia have 40% of cerebral palsy patients.

At hemiplegic form the motor functions of the arm and leg on one side of the body are affected. Its signs are present in 32%.

In 10% of people with cerebral palsy, the main form is dyskinetic or hyperkinetic... It is characterized by strong involuntary movements - hyperkinesis - in all limbs, as well as in the muscles of the face and neck. Hyperkinesis is also common in other forms of cerebral palsy.

For ataxic form characterized by decreased muscle tone, sluggish slow movements, severe imbalance. It is observed in 15% of patients.

So, the baby was born with one of the forms of cerebral palsy. And then other factors are included - the factors of life, which, as you know, everyone has their own. Therefore, what happens to him after a year is more correct to call the consequences of cerebral palsy. They can be completely different even within the same form. I know a person with spastic leg diplegia and fairly strong hyperkinesis, who graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, teaches at the institute and goes on hikes with healthy people.

According to various sources, 3-8 babies out of 1000 are born with cerebral palsy. Most (up to 85%) have mild and moderate severity of the disease. This means that many people simply do not associate the peculiarities of their gait or speech with a "terrible" diagnosis and believe that there are no cerebral palsy in their environment. Therefore, the only source of information for them is publications in the media, which by no means strive for objectivity ...

Myth two: cerebral palsy is curable

For most parents of children with cerebral palsy, this myth is extremely attractive. Without thinking that brain disorders today cannot be corrected by any means, they ignore the "ineffective" advice of ordinary doctors, spending all their savings and collecting huge sums with the help of charitable foundations to pay for an expensive course in another popular center. Meanwhile, the secret to alleviating the consequences of cerebral palsy is by no means so much in fashionable procedures as in constant work with the baby starting from the first weeks of life. Baths, regular massages, games with straightening the legs and arms, turning the head and developing the accuracy of movements, communication - this is the basis that in most cases helps the child's body to partially compensate for the disorders. After all, the main task of early treatment of the consequences of cerebral palsy is not to correct the defect itself, but to prevent the improper development of muscles and joints. And this can only be achieved by daily work.

Myth three: cerebral palsy does not progress

This is how those who are faced with the mild consequences of the disease comfort themselves. Formally, this is true - the state of the brain does not really change. However, even a mild form of hemiplegia, practically invisible to others, by the age of 18 inevitably causes a curvature of the spine, which, if not dealt with, is a direct path to early osteochondrosis or intervertebral hernias. And this is severe pain and limitation of mobility up to the inability to walk. Every form of cerebral palsy has similar typical consequences. The only trouble is that in Russia these data are practically not generalized, and therefore no one warns the growing cerebral palsy and their relatives about the dangers in the future.

Parents know much better that the affected areas of the brain become sensitive to the general state of the body. A temporary increase in spasticity or hyperkinesis can even cause a banal flu or a surge in blood pressure. In rare cases, a nervous shock or a serious illness causes a sharp long-term increase in all the consequences of cerebral palsy and even the appearance of new ones.

Of course, this does not mean that people with cerebral palsy should be kept in greenhouse conditions. On the contrary: the stronger the human body, the easier it adapts to unfavorable factors. However, if the procedure or exercise regularly causes, for example, increased spasticity, they should be discarded. In no case should you do something through “I can’t”!

Parents should pay special attention to the condition of a child from 12 to 18 years old. At this time, even healthy children experience serious overload due to the peculiarities of body restructuring. (One of the problems of this age is the growth of the skeleton, which outstrips the development of muscle tissues.) I know of several cases when walking children, due to problems with knee and hip joints at this age, sat on a wheelchair, and forever. That is why Western doctors do not recommend putting cerebral palsy patients 12-18 years old on their feet, if they have not walked before.

The fourth myth: everything from cerebral palsy

The consequences of cerebral palsy are very different, and yet their list is limited. However, relatives of people with this diagnosis sometimes consider cerebral palsy to be the cause of not only impaired motor functions, as well as vision and hearing, but also such phenomena as autism or hyperactivity syndrome. And most importantly, they think: it is worth curing cerebral palsy - and all other problems will be solved by themselves. Meanwhile, even if cerebral palsy really became the cause of the disease, it is necessary to treat not only it, but also a specific disease.

In the process of childbirth, Sylvester Stallone's facial nerve endings were partially damaged - part of the actor's cheek, lips and tongue remained paralyzed, however, slurred speech, grin and big sad eyes later became a hallmark.

Especially funny is the phrase "You have cerebral palsy, what do you want!" sounds in the mouths of doctors. More than once or twice I heard it from doctors of different specialties. In this case, you have to patiently and persistently explain that I want the same thing as any other person - relief of my own condition. As a rule, the doctor gives up and prescribes the procedures that I need. As a last resort, a trip to the manager helps. But in any case, when faced with this or that disease, a person with cerebral palsy has to be especially attentive to himself and sometimes suggest the necessary treatment to doctors in order to minimize the negative impact of the procedures.

The fifth myth: they don't take anywhere with cerebral palsy

Here it is extremely difficult to assert anything based on statistics, because there is simply no reliable data. However, judging by the graduates of the mass classes of the special boarding school No. 17 in Moscow, where I work, only a few stay at home after school. About half go to specialized colleges or university departments, a third go to ordinary universities and colleges, and some go straight to work. In the future, at least half of the graduates are employed. Sometimes girls, after graduating from school, quickly marry and begin to "work" as a mother. The situation with graduates of classes for children with mental retardation is more complicated, but even there, about half of graduates continue their studies in specialized colleges.

This myth is spread mainly by those who are not able to soberly assess their abilities and want to study or work where they are unlikely to be able to meet the requirements. When rejected, such people and their parents often turn to the media, trying to get their way by force. If a person knows how to measure desires with opportunities, he finds his way without showdown and scandals.

An illustrative example is our graduate Ekaterina K., a girl with a severe form of Little's disease. Katya walks, but can work on a computer with just one finger of her left hand, and her speech is understood only by very close people. The first attempt to enter a university as a psychologist failed - after looking at an unusual applicant, several teachers said that they refused to teach her. A year later, the girl entered the Academy of Printing at the editorial faculty, where there was a distance learning form. Her studies went so well that Katya began to earn money by passing tests for her classmates. She did not manage to get a permanent job after graduation (one of the reasons is the absence of a labor recommendation from the ITU). However, from time to time she works as a moderator of educational sites in a number of universities in the capital (an employment contract is drawn up for another person). And in his free time he writes poetry and prose, uploading works to his own website.

Dry residue

What advice can I give to parents who find out that their baby has cerebral palsy?

First of all, calm down and try to pay as much attention to him as possible, surrounding him (especially at an early age!) With only positive emotions. At the same time, try to live as if an ordinary child is growing up in your family - walk with him in the yard, dig in the sandbox, helping your child to establish contact with peers. There is no need to remind him of the illness once again - the child must come to an understanding of his own characteristics.

Second, do not rely on the fact that sooner or later your child will be healthy. Accept him as he is. One should not think that in the first years of life all forces should be devoted to treatment, leaving the development of the intellect "for later." The development of mind, soul and body are interconnected. A lot in overcoming the consequences of cerebral palsy depends on the child's desire to overcome them, and without the development of intelligence, it simply will not arise. If the baby does not understand why it is necessary to endure the discomfort and difficulties associated with treatment, there will be little benefit from such procedures.

Third, be lenient with those who ask tactless questions and give “stupid” advice. Remember: recently you yourself knew no more about cerebral palsy than they did. Try to calmly conduct such conversations, because their attitude towards your child depends on how you communicate with others.

And most importantly - believe: your child will be fine if he grows up to be an open and benevolent person.

<\>code for a website or blog

No related articles yet.

Anastasia

I read the article. My theme:)
32 years old, right-sided hemiparesis (mild form of cerebral palsy). An ordinary kindergarten, an ordinary school, a university, an independent job search (in fact, I am now at it), travel, friends, ordinary life….
And through the "lame" passed, and through the "clubfoot", and through God knows what. And there will be a lot more, I'm sure!
BUT! The main thing is a positive attitude and strength of character, optimism !!

Nana

Is it really necessary to expect deterioration with age? I have a mild degree, spasticity in my legs

Angela

And the attitude of people, not favorable living conditions broke me. At 36, I have no education, no job, no family, although a mild form (right-sided hemiparesis).

Natasha

A lot of cerebral palsy appeared after vaccinations. Although children do not have cerebral palsy at all. There is nothing innate and intrauterine. But they are attributed to cerebral palsy and, accordingly, incorrectly "heal". As a result, one really gets a kind of paralysis.
Often the cause of "congenital" cerebral palsy is not an injury at all, but an intrauterine infection.

Helena

A wonderful article that raises a huge problem - how to "live with it". It is well shown that it is equally bad to overlook and overemphasize the presence of disease-related limitations. You should not focus on what you cannot, but rather focus on what is available.
And it is really very important to pay attention to intellectual development. We even injected Cerebrokurin, it gave us a huge impetus in development, after all, embryonic neuropeptides really help to use the existing capabilities of the brain. My opinion is that you don't need to wait for a miracle, but you can't give up either. The author is right: "this can only be achieved by daily work" of the parents themselves, and the sooner they start doing this, the more productive. It is too late to start “prevention of abnormal development of muscles and joints” after one and a half years of age - “the locomotive has left”. I know from personal experience and from the experience of other parents.
Ekaterina, all the best to you.

* Kinesthesia (ancient Greek. Κινέω - "move, touch" + αἴσθησις - "feeling, sensation") - the so-called "muscular feeling", a sense of position and movement of both individual members and the entire human body. (Wikipedia)

Olga

absolutely disagree with the author. firstly, why, when considering the forms of cerebral palsy, they did not say anything about double hemiplegia? it differs from ordinary hemiplegia and from spastic tetraparesis. secondly, cerebral palsy is indeed curable. if we mean the development of the compensatory capabilities of the brain and the improvement of the patient's condition. thirdly, the author saw heavy children in the eyes ??? those that are out of the question to play in the sandbox. when you almost look at the child and he is shaking from convulsions. and the scream does not stop. and it arches so that the bruises on my mother's arms when she tries to hold him. when not only sitting - the child cannot lie. fourthly. the form of cerebral palsy is about nothing at all. the main thing is the severity of the disease. I saw spastic diplegia in two children - one almost does not differ from their peers, the other - all twisted and with convulsions, of course, cannot even sit in a wheelchair evenly. but there is only one diagnosis.

Helena

I do not quite agree with the article as a mother of a child with cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia, moderate severity. As a mother, it is easier for me to live and fight, thinking that if it is incurable, then it is fixable, it is possible to bring the child as close as possible to the "norms." social life. in 5 years we had heard enough that it would be better to hand over a son to a boarding school, and to give birth to a healthy one ourselves ... and this is from two different orthopedic doctors! it was said in front of a child who has a preserved intellect and he heard everything ... of course he closed himself off, began to avoid strangers ... but we have a huge leap, the son walks himself, though badly with balance and his knees are bent ... but we are struggling. started quite late, from 10 months , before that, other consequences of premature birth and doctors do not care ...

Cerebral Palsy (infantile cerebral palsy) is a set of neurological abnormalities resulting from damage to brain structures in the first weeks of a child's life or in the womb. The main component of the clinical picture is movement disorders. In addition to them, there may be speech and mental abnormalities, disturbances in the work of the emotional-volitional area, and epileptic seizures may occur.

Cerebral palsy is not a progressive disease, but most often the symptoms of this disease persist throughout the life of people and make them disabled. As they grow up, many people believe that the symptoms of the disease progresses, but this is not the case. It is simply possible not to notice many deviations while the child is still very small and cannot, for example, eat or move by himself, does not yet speak the first words, etc.

With cerebral palsy, various kinds of motor disorders can be traced. The structure of the muscular system is most affected, coordination of movement suffers. The structure, nature and neglect of muscle disorders can be determined based on the concentration of brain lesions and the extent of their damage. In addition, visual, auditory and speech pathologies are observed. Subsequently, the child may face impaired sensation and cognition, urinary incontinence and defecation, difficulty breathing and the process of absorbing food, the formation of pressure ulcers from constantly lying down, and so on.

Despite the fact that modern medicine is developing more and more and becomes more effective, the statistics on the prevalence of cerebral palsy is not decreasing and is about 1.6 per 1000 children. It should be noted that boys are much more likely to suffer from this deviation than girls.

Cerebral palsy and the causes of their occurrence can be divided into 6 groups:

Physical pathology.
Genetic.
Mechanical.
Ischemic.
Intoxication.
Infectious.

The physical causes of infantile cerebral palsy appear as a result of various influences: X-ray irradiation, magnetic field, radiation damage.

The genetic origin of cerebral palsy has not been reliably established, but experts talk about the likelihood of hereditary disorders in chromosomes. Genetic causes are various chromosomal abnormalities that provoke the development of paralysis; it is possible to establish the likelihood of such an outcome even in the womb with the help of genetic mapping.

Mechanical changes in the child's body can appear as a result of trauma, which entailed disturbances in the functioning of the brain. After the baby is born, an assessment should be made of the likelihood of any motor impairment. As early as possible, it is necessary to diagnose the child's motor skills, the presence of defects in cerebral tissues and evaluate how the child moves the limbs, what position he takes, whether he can roll over on his own, etc.

Ischemic etiology of cerebral palsy is fetal hypoxia, placental insufficiency, lack of oxygen in toxicosis and diseases of internal organs.

Intoxication causes are the result of poisoning, the consequences of the action of toxins. If any complications arise during a woman's pregnancy, this can lead to the accumulation of toxic substances that affect the fetus and its development. A similar situation can be provoked by drug treatment of female toxicosis.

Infectious causes in newly born children can arise from the presence of diseases such as meningitis, meningoencephalitis and encephalitis. The brain tissues become inflamed, which is fraught with their atrophy. Infectious diseases are accompanied by high fever, an increase in the number of leukocytes in the blood plasma and the presence of cerebrospinal fluid. All these factors affect the subsequent motor instability of the child.

Risk factors

There is a list of factors that can provoke the appearance of a terrible illness in an unborn child:

the age of the child's mother. There is a risk in mothers under 18 and 30 years and older who give birth for the first time, have late toxicosis and do not follow a healthy lifestyle;
infectious diseases. Congenital rubella has the highest percentage of risk, which can harm the fetus in 16-50% of cases out of 100. Other children whose mothers suffered from congenital toxoplasmosis, meningitis, cytomegaly can also get congenital brain damage. Viral diseases, herpes, E. coli, etc .; are also dangerous;
constant stress during pregnancy. Under stress, a whole portion of hormones is thrown into the body, an excess of them can develop a spasm of the umbilical cord and uterine vessels;
the threat of miscarriage: placental abruption and intrauterine bleeding;
endocrine diseases of the mother. It can be hypertension, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus. All this can lead to the threat of miscarriage;
poor diet, smoking and alcohol abuse;
harm from drugs;
toxicosis in the later stages;
intracranial trauma during childbirth, asphyxia;
incompatibility of erythrocyte antigens.

Signs of cerebral palsy - symptoms of the disease

There are three stages in the course of the disease:

Early (0 to 5 months)
Initial stage (from 5 months to 3 years).
Late (3 years and older).

As a result of the study of the stages, the early manifestations of cerebral palsy and their late symptoms are distinguished. The early signs of the disease include:

children's reflexes, for example, grasping, which persist after six months;
developmental delay, for example, the child cannot crawl, walk, roll over, sit, etc .;
using only one hand.

Early symptoms can be completely invisible until a certain age, and can be very pronounced depending on the degree of damage to the brain tissue. If a child has unhealthy muscle tone, for example, it can manifest itself as either excessive relaxation or resistance. If the tone is relaxed, i.e. lowered, limbs dangle, the child cannot hold the pose. If tense is elevated, then the limbs take a forced, not always comfortable position. Due to this pathology of muscle tone, cerebral palsy has the following character:

suddenness of movements;
slowness and worm-like;
excessive dynamics;
aimlessness;
uncontrollable motor reflexes.

All other symptoms of cerebral palsy are correlated with late ones. These include:

deformation of the skeleton. The affected side in this case has a shortened limb. As a consequence, if the problem is ignored, posture disturbance, scoliosis, curvature of the pelvic bones may develop;
hearing impairment. The child is unable to recognize the sounds surrounding him, which threatens the late development of speech and other skills;
disorder of the speech apparatus. It is expressed in the inability to form sounds by coordinating the lips, larynx and tongue. This results from damage to muscle tone. At the same time, speech is incoherent and difficult;
visual problems. Myopia, farsightedness or strabismus develops;
swallowing disorder. There is no interaction of the muscles responsible for the swallowing process, which creates great difficulties with the process of eating and drinking, salivation;
violation of the anatomical structure of the jaw - these are pathological problems in the structure of the dentition, tooth decay, weakness of the enamel;
urinary incontinence and bowel movements. When muscle work is uncontrollable, these processes become problematic;
convulsions. This symptom can be observed immediately after the birth of a child or some time after the development of cerebral palsy;
delay in mental development. This symptom manifests itself only in a part of sick children;
impaired coordination and muscle tone. The child's movements and motor skills are loose, clumsy, and discoordinated. Cerebral palsy is manifested by the following disorders:
excessive muscle strain;
involuntary contraction of muscle tissue;
no response to loud sound;
squint, myopathy;
does not reach the object with a hand after 4 months;
does not sit on its own after 7 months;
cannot pronounce words after a year;
uses only one of the two upper limbs after 12 years;
walking on your toes, and not on a full foot;
difficulty walking, stiffness.

Forms

Forms of cerebral palsy are classified according to many criteria proposed by various scientists and consisting of various factors. Currently, only one classification of cerebral palsy is used, which was proposed by Semenova K.A.

Consider all forms of cerebral palsy separately:

Cerebral palsy spastic diplegia is the most common form. These types of cerebral palsy are characterized by a curved spine, a violation of the muscles of the legs, hands and face at the same time almost do not suffer, and deformed joints. In addition to physical development, mental development also suffers. Syndrome of pseudobulbar dysarthria may develop. Characteristics of the disease: speech, hearing, intellect are impaired. The diagnosis - the spastic form of cerebral palsy - is very difficult and may entail not the most pleasant consequences, but the child's social adaptation can help in this.
- another kind of forms of cerebral palsy. It is extremely severe and is accompanied by complete motor impairment in both the legs and arms. The child cannot fully bend or straighten the limbs, the muscles are constantly in good shape, asymmetry of movements is observed. In more than half of cases, mental retardation is observed. These children are completely bedridden; they cannot stand and sit. Such patients are not trainable, which cannot be said about the next form of the disease.
The hyperkinetic form of cerebral palsy (also called the dyskinetic form) is a change in muscle tone that causes impulsive automatic twitching and movements that increase with emotional overexcitation. During sleep, muscle activity stops; during wakefulness, muscle tone constantly changes. Such patients begin to sit late, but they never walk until the end of their lives. They are characterized by indistinct speech, hearing impairments, but at the same time intelligence is preserved. If spastic symptoms are added to these symptoms, then the ailment is diagnosed as cerebral palsy of a spastic hyperkinetic form.
The atactic form of cerebral palsy is the dominance of movement disorders and balance imbalance. In the early years of life, only muscle hypotonia can be noticed. Ataxia becomes more distinct with the formation of functions, motor activity of the upper limbs.

There are also mixed forms, since it is not always possible to diagnose one of them due to the diffuse nature of the disease. With this form, there is a mixing of the symptoms of several types of cerebral palsy.

During the neonatal period, it is sometimes difficult to diagnose and determine cerebral palsy, the form of which is not clear. Therefore, in this classification there are clarifying data, taking into account the age range of a person. For an earlier age they are characteristic, for an older one - spastic, atactic, hyperkinetic, mixed.

Diagnostics and treatment

The diagnosis of cerebral palsy covers the following stages of the analysis:

Ultrasound of the brain;
CT and MRI;
Electroencephalogram.

The main goal of cerebral palsy treatment is to eliminate malfunctions in the motor system, speech barriers, and correct mental development. Treatment is selected individually, taking into account all the characteristics of each individual organism, because today there is no universal treatment. Methods that accompany positive results:

physiotherapy;
medicines that normalize muscle tone;
massage.

The following techniques are also effective:

Voight's method;
pneumosuit Atlant;
load suits;
classes with a speech therapist;
walkers, bicycles and other exercise equipment.

If the methods do not give any changes, a surgical operation is performed, plastic surgery of the muscle structure and tendons is performed, and the tissues are given the correct shape. In this way, contractures and damaged areas are removed, and the spinal cord is stimulated.

Analyzing infantile cerebral palsy, the causes of which may be different, it can be noted that a very effective unconventional method - animal therapy - treatment with the help of positive emotions from communication with animals (horses and dolphins).