What Is Cerebral Palsy?
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a problem that affects muscle tone, movement, and coordination. It happens when the brain can’t properly send messages to muscles about how to move in smooth or well-coordinated ways. CP can also affect other body functions that involve motor skills and muscles, like breathing, bladder and bowel control, eating, and talking.
There are different types of CP. Some people have one type, or a mix of:
- spastic cerebral palsy, which causes stiffness and trouble moving
- dyskinetic (athetoid) cerebral palsy, which causes uncontrolled movements
- ataxic cerebral palsy, which causes a problem with balance and depth perception (judging the distance between two objects)
- hypotonic cerebral palsy, which causes low muscle tone (hypotonia), making muscles "floppy"
There is no cure for CP, but a child's quality of life can improve with:
- treatment that may involve medicine or surgery
- therapy, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy
- special equipment to help kids get around and communicate with others
Cerebral palsy does not get worse over time.