Running head: CEREBRAL PALSY AWARENESS

Cerebral Palsy Awareness

Jadyn R. Fruk

Swan Valley High School

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CEREBRAL PALSY AWARENESS

The moment her brain surgery went wrong her life changed forever without her

knowledge. Her mom and grandma noticed she was acting differently, incredibly fussy, and

lethargic. The strangest symptom was her head size increasing; it was much bigger than it was

supposed to be. They immediately rushed to the ER and they were told it was just an ear

infection. It was not an ear infection as she did not get any better with antibiotics. She was taken

back to the emergency room. More tests and scans were done to finally discover that the cause of

the symptoms was because she had Hydrocephalus. The doctor performed surgery to drain the

fluid from her brain. Her condition got progressively worse. This led to another surgery and she

had to lay flat for two weeks to drain the blood from the previous surgery. The result of all of

this trauma was the diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy (CP) a few months later. By explaining what CP

is, the symptoms, the types, treatments, and equipment used will help raise awareness of the

condition millions face daily.

Cerebral Palsy is a condition caused by brain damage during pregnancy, delivery or other

causes after birth. It is “a neurological condition that affects one's mobility, balance and

coordination” (Learn More about Cerebral Palsy, 2019). The word “cerebral” refers to the brain

and “palsy” means spasms of damaged limbs. People with CP tend to have difficulties

completing tasks involving fine motor and gross motor skills, making daily responsibilities more

challenging to do independently.

As a result of this condition, individuals may experience some major symptoms that

typically become diagnosed in the first years of their life. Major signs include “varying degrees
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of muscle tone, delays in gross motor and fine motor skills, and challenges with oral skills”

(Cerebral palsy - Symptoms and causes, 2019). Some people might be stiff or floppy. Some

individuals can walk, talk, and are cognitively at grade level. Others have difficulties with those

skills and some are not capable of doing any of those tasks. People with Cerebral Palsy may

struggle with simple tasks like cutting, buttoning, walking and running. As seen in Appendix A,

CP can affect all four limbs, just their legs, or one side of the body. Each case of CP varies on

how severe it is, even if it is the same diagnosis.

The most common form of Cerebral Palsy is Spastic. “Spastic CP causes stiffness and

movement difficulties” (Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). This type of CP covers more than half of the

known cases.”The stiffness may be in the upper part of the body, the lower part, or both. They

can be on one or both sides of the body” (Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). Each case of CP is different even

when people have the same diagnosis. Depending on the degree that the limbs are affected,

people may need assistance from other people or equipment to make their overall life better and

easier.

In addition to Spastic CP, there is Ataxic CP. With this type, vision is impacted most.

“Ataxic Cerebral Palsy causes problems with balance and depth perception” (Cerebral Palsy,

n.d.). This CP has a huge impact on their vision, making it more challenging to find the location

of certain objects. Those with Ataxic CP tend to “walk with their legs spread out further”

(Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). This makes their gait appear different. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy causes them

to be shaky and unstable affecting their balance due to their vision and muscle tone.
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The last form of CP is Athetoid. With this type of CP, “muscle movements are

uncontrollable” (Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). This causes everyday tasks like walking, writing, and

other fine and gross motor skills to be harder for them to accomplish. They have “twisting,

abrupt movements” (Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). These movements are the results of trauma and lack of

oxygen to the brain. Their muscles jerk and spasm without being able to stop them. They may

also need more assistance with these compared to a typical person due to these involuntary

movements.

Surgeries are a major part of the life of a person with CP. There are numerous reasons

why surgeries are done on individuals with Cerebral Palsy. They give people more freedom,

independence, and a better quality of life. Major reasons include “Scoliosis, muscle spasticity,

gastrointestinal problems, joint problems, muscle contracture, hip dislocation, and tremors”

(Cerebral Palsy: Symptoms, Treatments, and Causes of Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). Some surgeries

eliminate pain and improve mobility. There are many benefits to surgeries for overall health and

functionality in mind. Major surgeries include “Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), hip

osteotomies, and tendon lengthenings” (Cerebral Palsy: Hope Through Research, 2019). The

SDR is a procedure that cuts out affected nerves on the spinal cord causing high tone within the

patient's body. This improves the severity of their CP. If the recovery and rehabilitation from the

SDR are successful the patient’s severity CP improves. A person could go from needing a walker

or crutches to walking independently or go from wheelchair-bound to using a walker or walking

aide. Hip osteotomies are the operation that doctors do when a person's hips are dislocated, affect

mobility, or cause pain. When a doctor performs a hip osteotomy, they cut and reposition the hip
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bone in proper alignment. The hip is then held in place with plates and screws. A tendon

lengthening is where they cut the tendons and make them longer allowing them to stretch easier.

This makes the muscles looser and more relaxed. Once the surgery heals pain is minimized.

Another major treatment option is therapy. Therapy can be very beneficial. The main

therapies include “physical, occupational, speech, and physio” (Cerebral Palsy: Symptoms,

Treatments, and Causes of Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). The type of session, length, and frequency

depend on the severity of CP or recent surgeries. Each kind of therapy has various goals and they

work on different things incorporating stretches and exercises to build strength and endurance

and mastering new skills. Physical therapy (PT) works on strength and endurance with legs.

Occupational therapy (OT) works on hands and learning how to complete routine tasks. Speech

therapy (ST) works on communication and control of the neck and facial muscles. Both OT and

ST work on self-feeding, trying different textured foods and using the utensils correctly. Physio

is a more hands-on massage based treatment. These other therapies that are more extracurricular

and fun since they are not usually covered by insurance and are done outside the typical hospital

clinic like settings. The different therapies are “intensive suit therapy, music, behavior, and

aquatic” (Cerebral Palsy: Symptoms, Treatments, and Causes of Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). All of

these therapies are used to build strength and create muscle memory.

The final treatment option is medicine. People with Cerebral Palsy may take medicine for

many reasons. The most common medicines are “Baclofen, Dantrium/Dantrolene

Diazepam/Valium, Botox, Flexeril”(Cerebral Palsy: Symptoms, Treatments, and Causes of

Cerebral Palsy, n.d.). These medicines reduce tightness, pain, and improve flexibility. Most of
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these are orally taken except for Botox and sometimes Baclofen. Botox is injected into the

muscles that spasticity is taking over. Aside from having oral Baclofen, people can also have a

pump put in that is programmable to release the right amount when it is needed. These medicines

improve their functionality in tasks that they were unable to perform, extremely difficult to

complete and manage pain that people suffer.

Lastly, there is one more major necessity to have when living with CP, equipment. Each

person typically uses at least one of these devices. Some are orthotics walkers, wheelchairs

(power and manual), gait trainers, standers, canes/crutches, and lifts (Mobility Aids, n.d.). It

gives them mobility, freedom, and independence to get around safely. Without these devices,

they would be more at risk for injuries since they do help put them in a better position with

sitting, walking, and standing. Lifts help caregivers transfer the person safely. Essentially their

equipment is their legs that get them where they need to be.

I chose Cerebral Palsy awareness to research and for my project because I was diagnosed

with Spastic Diplegia CP a few months after having brain surgery to correct the Hydrocephalus I

was born with. The surgery that the doctor did had medical errors. This topic means a lot to me

since I fight it every day. I have endured countless doctor appointments, surgeries, hours of

therapy and different medicines to give me the best outcome in life. Over the last seventeen

years, I have had six operations relating to my Cerebral Palsy. In Appendix B, I was at an

appointment to see how my hips were doing since I had hip osteotomies while I was in fourth

grade. The surgeries were needed at that point. As I was growing taller, my bones were getting

taller, my muscles were getting tighter. This resulted in them getting pulled out of the socket. On
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the day of my first surgery, my right hip was completely dislocated and my left was about

halfway. For my project, I will be making an informational page to raise awareness and will be

handing it out a home sporting event in the winter or spring. On the flyer, I will include the

awareness ribbon and the national awareness month, and important facts everyone should know

about Cerebral Palsy. This will help those feel more accepted with others learning what people

with CP like myself go through over a lifetime.

It is important to understand all things relating to Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy affects

many people daily. It affects their mobility and hinders movements that people typically take for

granted. It is important to raise awareness about CP to help others understand what those with

the condition go through over their lifetime. That way people are not so quick to judge why

someone might do something differently or if they need extra assistance with certain tasks.
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Appendix A

(Facts about cerebral palsy, n.d.).

Appendix B
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(Fruk, 2011).

References

Cerebral Palsy Alliance. (n.d.). Facts about cerebral palsy. Retrieved from

https://cerebralpalsy.org.au/our-research/about-cerebral-palsy/what-is-cerebral-palsy/fact

s-about-cerebral-palsy/

Cerebral Palsy. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/cerebral-palsy.html

Cerebral Palsy: Hope Through Research. (2019, August 13). Retrieved from

https://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/patient-caregiver-education/hope-through-research/c

erebral-palsy-hope-through-research

Cerebral palsy - symptoms, and causes. (2019, August 17). Retrieved from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cerebral-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-203

53999

Cerebral Palsy: Symptoms, Treatments, and Causes of Cerebral Palsy. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://cerebralpalsygroup.com/cerebral-palsy/

Learn More About Cerebral Palsy (CP). (2019, September 23). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/index.html
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Mobility Aids. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/treatment/mobility-aids/