Cerebral Palsy Pt 1 Flashcards
(42 cards)
definition of cerebral palsy
- Group of clinical symptoms or a syndrome characterized by a disorder of movement and posture due to a static lesion or defect in an immature brain
- Most common non-progressive movement disorder in children
risk factors associated with development of CP
History taking should include screening questions related to the mother’s health, pregnancy, birth and post-birth period. Risk factors for CP may be at the maternal or infant level.
maternal risk factors
- Thyroid condition
- Infection during pregnancy
- Pre-eclampsia
- Multiple pregnancy (i.e. twins or greater)
infant risk factors
- Prematurity
- Intrauterine growth restriction
- Low birth weight
- Acute intrapartum hypoxic event
- Moderate to severe encephalopathy
- Neonatal seizures
- Neonatal infection
- Hypoglycaemia
- Jaundice
additional risk factors identified in children born at term
- Placental abnormalities
- Birth defects
- Meconium aspiration
- Instrumental/emergency caesarean delivery
- Birth asphyxia
- Respiratory distress syndrome
postnatal risk factors
- Head injuries: TBI’s
- Infections: meningitis, encephalitis
- Brain hemorrhage: IVH
- Asphyxia: HIE, cardiac arrest, near drowning
small percentage of children acquiring CP after one month of age
generally a result of stroke, which may occur spontaneously or from complications associated with another condition or medical intervention
how CP is classified
According to muscle tone/movement patterns (MOTOR TYPE)
according to distribution in body (TOPOGRAPHY)
spastic
Spasticity is a velocity-dependent resistance to stretch by the muscles. It is characterized by an excessive stiffness in the muscles when the child attempts to move or maintain a posture against gravity.
dyskinetic
Dyskinesia/hyperkinesia refers to an increase in muscular activity that can result in excessive abnormal movements, excessive normal movements, or a combination of both. Dyskinetic/hyperkinetic CP is characterized by abnormalities of tone and various movement disorders including dystonia, athetosis and chorea.
ataxic
Ataxia is characterized by shaky movements and affects a person’s coordination and balance. It is the least common form of CP - less effect on muscle tone, but great impact on balance and coordination. Exhibit difficulty with balance, coordination, and maintenance of stable alignment of head, trunk, shoulders, and pelvis.
mixed
child shows components of high and low muscle tone; examples:
CP where more than one motor type is present, for example spasticity and dystonia.
Usually one motor type will be dominant.
monoplegia
involves single extremity; upper or lower
hemiplegia
involves one side of body
dipelgia
total body is affected with LE’s/trunk more affected than UE’s/face
quadriplegia
total body affected including face, neck, and trunk with equal involvement – typically seen in dyskinetic and ataxic types
triplegia
involves three extremities
dystonia
characterized by sustained or intermittent muscle contractions causing repetitive or twisting movements
athetosis
characterized by uncontrolled, slow and writhing movements that prevent maintenance of a stable posture. It involves continuous smooth movements that appear random and are not composed of recognizable sub-movements or movement fragments. Athetosis is made worse by attempts to move however it may also be present at rest. Athetosis is distinguished from dystonia by the lack of sustained postures, and from chorea by the lack of identifiable movement fragments
chorea
ongoing random-appearing sequence of one or more discrete involuntary movements or movement fragments.
Chorea is distinguished from dystonia due to the apparently random, unpredictable, and continuously ongoing nature of the movements, compared with the more predictable and stereotyped movements or postures of dystonia. The movements of chorea often appear more rapid than those associated with dystonia
primary impairments
- Primary impairments are those that are immediate and a direct result of the cortical lesion in the brain.
- The nervous system damage that causes cerebral palsy can occur before or during birth or before or during birth or before a child’s second year, the time when myelination of the child’s sensory and motor tracts and CNS structures rapidly occurs.
- As a “non-progressive condition”, the original defect or lesion occurring the in the CNS typically does not worsen or change over time.
- However, because the lesion occurs in immature brain structures, the progression of the child’s motor development may appear to change (secondary impairments)
- Growth can be severely impacted in children with CP. Separate growth tables are available to track overall growth for both boys and girls with CP
secondary impairments
- in systems or organs over time due to the effects of one or more of the primary impairments
• For example, a child with cerebral palsy may have a primary impairment of hypertonia and a muscle imbalance across a joint. This abnormal muscle tone may cause poor alignment across a joint, further muscle weakness, and eventually a contracture in the joint.
• The resulting muscle contractures, poor body alignment, and poor ability to initiate movement would be considered secondary impairments.
• This is important to understand since the diagnosis of cerebral palsy means a child has a static non-progressive lesion in the brain. Although the initial brain injury is unchanging, the results or the secondary impairments are not static and change over time with body growth and attempts to move against gravity.
• Children with cerebral palsy may continue to rely on automatic movement pattern because they are unable to direct their muscles to move successfully in more typical motor patterns.
• The atypical patterns used to play or complete functional activities may become repetitive and fixed. The repetition of the atypical movement patterns prevent children with cerebral palsy from gaining independent voluntary control of their own movements and can lead to diminished strength and musculoskeletal problems.
• The combination of impaired muscle co-activation and the use of reflexively controlled postures may lead to future contractures in the muscle, tendon, and ligamentous tissues, causing the tissues to become permanently shortened. Bone deformities and alterations of typical posture or spinal and joint alignment may also occur.
diagnosis/indicators highly predictive of CP
- No definitive diagnostic test; difficult to get medical diagnosis under 1 year of age
- Indicators highly predictive of CP
- Prematurity
- Low birth weight
- Hypertonus at birth or still present at 4 months
- Delayed motor milestones at 4 months
- Abnormal findings on MRI or HUS (head ultra sound)
key prognostic message - life long disability
CP is a life-long disability
• Disability increases with age
• Aging occurs earlier
• Rehabilitation planning must consider adulthood