Arthur's South Africa Cerebral Palsy Home

What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy (cp.) is a term used to describe a group of disorders affecting body movement and muscle co-ordination. The medical definition of Cerebral Palsy is a non-progressive but not unchanging disorder of movement and/or posture, due to an insult to or anomaly of the developing brain.

Development of the brain starts in early pregnancy and continues until about age three. Damage to the brain during this time may result in Cerebral Palsy. This damage interferes with messages from the brain to the body, and from the body to the brain.

The effects of Cerebral Palsy vary widely from individual to individual. At its mildest, Cerebral Palsy may result in a slight awkwardness of movement or hand control. At its most severe, Cerebral Palsy may result in virtually no muscle control, profoundly affecting movement and speech.

Depending on which areas of the brain have been damaged, one or more of the following may occur:

-muscle tightness or spasm
-involuntary movement
-difficulty with gross motor skills such as walking or running
-difficulty with fine motor skills such as writing and speaking
-abnormal perception and sensation

The brain damage which caused Cerebral Palsy. may also lead to other conditions such as:

-seizures
-learning disabilities
-developmental delay

It is important to remember that limbs affected by Cerebral Palsy are not paralyzed and can feel pain, heat, cold and pressure. It is also important to remember that, just because someone with Cerebral Palsy may not be able to speak, it does not mean she has nothing to say. The degree of physical disability experienced by a person with Cerebral Palsy is not an indication of her level of intelligence.

Cerebral Palsy is not a progressive condition - damage to the brain is a one time event so it will not get worse - and people with Cerebral Palsy have a normal life span. Although the condition is not progressive, the effects of Cerebral Palsy may change over time. Some may improve: for example, a child whose hands are affected may be able to gain enough hand control to write and to dress herself. Others may get worse: tight muscles can cause problems in the hips and spines of growing children which require orthopedic surgery; the aging process can be harder on bodies with abnormal posture or which have had little exercise.

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Last Updated 28tth February, 2000