Hi there!
This blog is probably going to really basic stuff, a WebMD version for dummies.. written by a stay @ home Mom ( Currently, although I'm hoping to get back to work soon enough). Shall we say a blog by a One MOM army!
As any mother will (not) admit, I was and still am kind of paranoid by anything & everything real and/or imagined that may afflict kids.. Many a mom out there may be thrilled to bits at each & every movement that their lil cherub makes. On the other hand, every movement or motion that does not take place within the timespan specified by *baby*.com. should not provoke undue concern. Hey, there is no limit to imagination, but I plan to reassure moms by tackling topics one at a time & not in alphabetical order.
Take for example: Cerebral palsy! to be specific, Spastic cerebral palsy.
Symptoms: Shows up typically when the kid tries to walk and their leg muscles appear stiff and walking seems difficult and strained. That would be classified under the scientific jargon commonly known as spasticity.
With each little affliction, I plan to state 2 reasons & 2 cures.. anything beyond that will make the reader doze off. Yes, please follow this blog & correct me if I ramble on!
How does it Happen?
Many reasons, including the following: Forceps Delivery (yanking the baby out with a pair of Forceps, a tong like apparatus!) resulting in squishing a part of the brain, leading to internal bleeding &.. you get the picture.
Bilirubin: remember the doctor prodding your new born trying to detect a redness in the skin & then plonking them under the UV light to degrade the bilirubin? Well, the stuff can damage baby's brain in utero as well.
hey, this Blog is decidedly NOT a scientific review paper, So I shall stop here.
but guess what? If God can make the lame walk, there seems to be some recent scientific evidence of the same.
Some of the treatments for Spastic Cerebral palsy include (drumrolls..) BOTOX
Did you know that long before BOTOX became a strip mall/ mail order Plastic surgery commodity, one of its uses was for treating spasticity?
But, just as it does not permanently erase wrinkles, it will not permanently loosen muscles to facilitate walking.
Ideally it would be great to have a one stop shop solution & the closest to such a 'cure' for spasticity seems to be this surgical procedure called 'Selective Posterior Rhizotomy'.
For this procedure, the neurosurgeon basically opens up the base of the spine, exposing the spinal cord. He then tests the nerves (like an electrician checking the wiring) and cuts those nerves that cause any abnormal muscle contraction.. (Yeah, this is the 2 cent read version, so this is the cheesy sounding description), & closes up the patient ( & Yes Insurance companies do pay for the procedure I believe...One time payment vs chronic fiscal bleed for them right? ),
Net result: The patient is then retrained to walk, & in course of time their walking patterns (or Gait, if you prefer) is statistically within the same range as a normal person..
there have been long term scientific studies following subjects over a period of 20 + years & guess what? the procedure works!
FYI: Hospitals in the US that perform this surgery include UCLA, UCSF (west coast), Wash U ( Midwest), & Beth Israel (East coast).. but don't quote me on this...
