Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a condition that affects muscle tone, movement, and balance. Rather than one disorder, it is a group of movement disorders that begin in the brain. Most people with this condition are born with it. The area of the brain that is affected, the part that controls balance, posture, and movement, is damaged around the time of birth or just after. Cerebral palsy creates muscle control issues from mild to severe, some people cannot walk or have trouble talking, and there are cases of intellectual disabilities ad well as physical. For children, CP is the most common movement disorder and occurs in 2.1 out of 1000 live births. Life expectancy for people with cerebral palsy is between 30 – 70 years.

  Brain disruptions in the womb that can lead to cerebral palsy in a baby are a lack of blood flow to organs, genetic conditions, bleeding on the brain and seizures after birth. Other diseases if contracted by the pregnant mother may lead to CP in the infant. These include Rubella, Chickenpox, herpes, and Cytomegalovirus.