Definition

Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of chronic conditions affecting body movements and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development or during infancy.

Description

Cerebral palsy (CP) is an umbrella-like term used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing movement control that appear in the first few years of life and generally do not worsen over time. The disorders are caused by faulty development or damage to motor areas in the brain that disrupt the brain's ability to control movement and posture. The causes of such cerebral insults include vascular, metabolic, infectious, toxic, traumatic, hypoxic (lack of oxygen) and genetic causes. The mechanism that originates cerebral palsy involves multi-factorial causes, but much is still unknown.

Cerebral palsy distorts messages from the brain...