"Cerebral palsy" is a term automatically blocked by many parents involved. In the traditional understanding of many parents, "cerebral palsy" signifies "irreversible intellectual impairment and physical movement disorders." So, is cerebral palsy really that frightening? Is there truly no way to improve cerebral palsy?
Misconception 1: What is cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy refers to a non-progressive syndrome of brain damage caused by various factors during the prenatal to neonatal period, up to one month after birth. It primarily manifests as limb paralysis, including central motor disorders, abnormal muscle tone, abnormal movement postures, and reflex abnormalities. Additionally, cerebral palsy often accompanies other brain function impairments such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, visual impairments, strabismus, and nystagmus. It may also involve hearing loss, language disorders, cognitive deficits, and behavioral abnormalities.
It is crucial to note that for most cerebral palsy patients, the main symptom is restricted movement. This distinction is vital during infancy. During the first one or two years after birth, it is difficult to determine whether intellectual development is normal, leading many parents to miss the optimal golden period for prevention and treatment of cerebral palsy.
Misconception 2: How is cerebral palsy diagnosed?
Currently, any imaging diagnosis alone (including ultrasound, CT, and MRI) cannot confirm cerebral palsy. Diagnosis must be based on clinical symptoms of motor disorders. This is because any imaging diagnosis shows a snapshot of the brain at a specific time, indicating where brain damage exists; however, it cannot predict whether this damage will lead to brain developmental abnormalities and ultimately result in cerebral palsy.
The diagnosis of cerebral palsy primarily depends on clinical manifestations. Clinical manifestations involve observing the five major motor indicators in babies: gross motor skills, fine motor skills, language expression, cognitive development, and communication abilities. MRI reports often mention phenomena such as brain hemorrhage, softening of brain tissue, and developmental abnormalities, but these are not diagnostic indicators for cerebral palsy. A definitive diagnosis requires specialized physicians to combine the child's medical history and clinical symptoms.
Misconception 3: When can cerebral palsy be diagnosed?
Many babies who experience brain hemorrhages at birth are quickly labeled as having cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy refers to a condition where the baby's motor skills cease to develop. However, the human brain is a remarkable organ, particularly the brain of a baby, which undergoes rapid development in the first three years after birth. With proactive rehabilitation guidance, the brain has a certain capacity for repair and compensation.
Therefore, a definitive diagnosis of cerebral palsy should be made only when the child is at least two or three years old. While some babies may show symptoms of cerebral palsy after the age of one, these symptoms are not fixed or unchangeable. In other words, babies with a history of brain hemorrhage at birth are considered to be at high risk for cerebral palsy, with higher grades of hemorrhage indicating greater risk. Thus, these babies are classified as high-risk rather than definitively diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Misconception 4: Cerebral palsy cannot be intervened with.
Unfortunately, if a baby is diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of two or three, current medical technology cannot cure it. However, using certain supportive treatments and rehabilitation methods can alleviate some of the suffering caused by cerebral palsy, significantly improve motor functions, and enhance the quality of life.
For the "high-risk" group, increasing research has shown that early intervention, especially the timely initiation of standardized motor rehabilitation and proactive brain function modulation surgery, has a clear reparative effect on brain injuries in affected children.
Comprehensive treatment combining stereotactic surgery and rehabilitation training.
Current medical research has found and confirmed that early standardized rehabilitation training can aid in brain function repair. Rehabilitation training and brain repair are complementary; appropriate training provides positive stimulation to the brain, promoting its plasticity and repair. As the brain's integration strengthens, it accelerates the rehabilitation process, and the earlier this training starts, the better. Surgical treatment, particularly brain function modulation surgery (stereotactic surgery), can address issues of limb paralysis that rehabilitation training alone cannot improve, such as high muscle tone, muscle spasms, and motor dysfunction.
Many children with spastic cerebral palsy have bodies that remain in a state of high tension for long periods, leading to shortened tendons and joint contractures and deformities. They often walk on tiptoes, and in severe cases, may experience paralysis or hemiplegia in both lower limbs. At this point, the focus of treatment should be on comprehensive treatment combining stereotactic surgery and rehabilitation. Surgical treatment not only improves motor impairment symptoms but also lays a good foundation for rehabilitation training. Postoperative rehabilitation training further consolidates the effects of surgery, promotes the recovery of various motor functions, and ultimately achieves the goal of long-term improvement in quality of life.