Is Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy Treatable?

A group of muscle abnormalities that impair a child's capacity to control movement are collectively referred to as cerebral palsy. It results from aberrant brain growth or damage before, during, or soon after birth. Depending on the extent and location of the brain damage, cerebral palsy has varying effects on various kids.

 

As the areas of the brain that control muscle function are damaged, the messages or signals from the brain to the related muscles are disrupted, which has some effect on a child's movement.

 

Children with Cerebral Palsy may struggle with their balance, reflexes, muscle tone, and motor skills. Nevertheless, other characteristics like learning and language abilities could be comparable to those of a typical youngster, again depending on the extent of brain injury.

 

Symptoms Of Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy

Abnormal muscle tone, which affects balance, posture, and motor function, can be a defining feature of both cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. Infants with the disorders sometimes go undiagnosed until they begin to exhibit developmental difficulties. The majority of kids are diagnosed between 18 and 24 months.

 

 

Cerebral palsy symptoms	Muscular dystrophy symptoms
●     Difficulty walking ●     Difficulty eating ●     Fine motor skill problems ●     Learning problems ●     Stiff muscles ●     Tremors	●     Difficulties getting up, running, or moving feet ●     Growth delays ●     Learning problems ●     Muscle pain and weakness

 

There is a subtype of cerebral palsy that is distinguished by hypotonia (low muscle tone), even though cerebral palsy is typically characterised by high muscle tone. A characteristic of muscular dystrophy is the weakening of the muscles with time. The muscle tone of those with muscular dystrophy declines as the disease worsens.

 

Children with muscular dystrophy are likely to develop respiratory and cardiac issues by the time they are teenagers. This is due to the fact that the heart and diaphragm are muscles, and their dysfunction may be brought on by a shortage of dystrophin.

 

Cerebral Palsy and Muscular Dystrophy: similar or different?

Although the two illnesses may present similarly, they are fundamentally very distinct from one another. A section of the brain has been damaged, which is the underlying cause of the neurological disorder cerebral palsy. A hereditary disorder called musculardystrophy, in contrast, has as its primary cause damage to the gene that produces the protein dystrophin, which is crucial for the preservation of normal muscle cell proliferation.

 

However, these diseases would impact a child's ability to move, whether through delays in the development of motor milestones like crawling, sitting, standing, and walking. A child with cerebral palsy and dystonia both impact the capacity to control muscles, therefore the following secondary consequences of muscular dystrophy may also occur:

 

●     Insufficient muscular growth as a result of inactivity.

●     Deformities of the feet, arms, and hands, as well as malformed bones and joints and muscle imbalances that may cause complications including scoliosis and hip dislocations.

●     Compensatory movement techniques to facilitate movement, such as excessive hip rotations when walking rather than a straight line.

●     Easily exhausted because they tend to use more energy on simple movements than other youngsters do.

 

Can Cerebral Palsy or Muscular Dystrophy be treated?

Children who have Cerebral Palsy have permanent, non-progressive brain damage, which indicates that while the disorder cannot be treated, the damage won't become worse. If necessary precautions are not taken, the damage's side effects could worsen. The muscles will get weaker with age for kids with muscular dystrophy. Medication can, however, lessen the impact of the decline.

 

Physiotherapists work to help children with movement impairments and challenges learn the most effective ways to maximise their bodies' functional mobility. Depending on their capabilities and needs, interventions would be concentrated on promoting mobility and achieving age-appropriate gross motor skills (e.g., sitting, crawling, standing, walking, running, and jumping). This would be done through enjoyable games and activities that incorporate training for strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and endurance.

 

Intervention would include dealing with any secondary problems that these kids could have, like coping mechanisms for scoliosis and hip dislocations. The kid's quality of life can be maximised by a physiotherapist working with the child's carers to empower the youngster and maximise their independent movement, even though they may not be able to undo the underlying harm. Thus, to optimise a child's potential and to lessen or better control the illnesses' secondary effects, early detection, diagnosis, and intervention are essential.

 

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