Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a sort of blanket term for several different disorders that can appear during the first few years of a child's life. These disorders affect a child's ability to coordinate movement of his body. As a result, there are abnormalities in the child's muscle tone, causing the muscles to either be rigid and stiff or floppy and weak. Cerebral palsy usually happens as a result of damage to the brain that occurs when the brain is developing. Cerebral palsy is not curable and can have a wide variety of symptoms, including difficulty in controlling voluntary movements, rigid muscles and exaggerated reflexes, tremors and difficulty walking.
Cerebral Palsy and Arthritis
Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder and arthritis is a problem with the joints and connective tissue. As a result, there is no direct link between cerebral palsy and arthritis. However, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, many people with cerebral palsy suffer from arthritis. Many people with cerebral palsy also have a condition called post-impairment syndrome, which involves fatigue, pain and weakness as a result of the muscle and bone deformities that cerebral palsy can involve. This can lead to changes in posture and gait which can put unnatural stress on the joints, leading to arthritis. As patients with cerebral palsy age, their joints wear down, and movements that were formerly not painful cause pain.
Arthritis Prevention
The best way to prevent the development of arthritis as a result of cerebral palsy is early treatment to correct some of the postural and abnormal movements that cause pain and put unnatural stress on the joints. This can be done via intensive physical therapy, or via the use of braces to ensure normal posture and weight distribution. Otherwise, simple anti-inflammatory medications, such as aspirin and ibuprofen can be used to manage some of the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis.
