The New Medical Club

Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement. The disorders appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time.

Description of Cerebral Palsy
These disorders are not caused by problems in the muscles or nerves outside the brain. Instead, faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain disrupts the brain’s ability to adequately control movement and posture.

Cerebral palsy is classified into four broad categories – spastic, athetoid, ataxic, and mixed forms – according to the type of movement disturbance.

1. Spastic cerebral palsy affects 70 to 80 percent of patients. In this form, the muscles are stiffly and permanently contracted. Doctors will often describe which type of spastic cerebral palsy a patient has based on which limbs are affected.

2. Ataxic cerebral palsy is a rare form that affects balance and coordination. Affected persons may walk unsteadily with a wide-based gait, placing their feet unusually far apart. It also can produce intention tremor.