Ataxic Cerebral Palsy Symptoms And Treatment
Ataxic cerebral palsy is one of the rarest forms of CP there is. This type of CP only affects up to about ten percent of the patients and it mainly affects coordination. The word “Ataxic” actually means coordination and Ataxic cerebral palsy is caused when the cerebellum (base of the brain) is damaged. This is the part of the brain that controls balance, coordination and directs the actions of several groups of muscles.
How serious this type of CP becomes will depend on how much brain damage the patient has. When a child begins showing signs of Ataxic cerebral palsy, these are the symptoms they will be living with for the rest of their life.
The symptoms for Ataxic CP include the following:
• Poor balance
• Jerky speech patterns
• Shakiness
• Titubation or wobbling trunk
• Unsteady and wide- based walk
• Nystagmus or abnormal eye movements
• Low muscle tone
Patients with this condition appear limp and lifeless. The simple act of reaching out to touch or hold something can cause a tremor that worsens as they get closer to the object they’re trying to touch. Some refer to this as “intention tremors” because they occur when the person is trying to intentionally do something.
When they try to write, draw or try to do any other specific action the tremors occur. The more specific the action, the worse the tremors become. The patient also has dysmetria, which means they can’t judge distance or scale. Many ataxic cerebral palsy suffers make use of cerebral palsy wheelchairs as a mode of transport. These wheelchairs can really help the person regain some lost mobility.
The symptoms of this type of CP will affect the whole body, not just certain limbs.
There is no cure for Ataxic cerebral palsy but there are treatments that can reduce its severity. Primidone and benzodiazepine can effectively reduce the symptoms of this type of CP but they should not be used long term. Botulinum toxin A or Botox will help voice, head and hand tremors by helping to relax the tightened muscles.
Cerebral palsy treatments include physical therapy, which is used to help develop better balance and improve reflexes. It can help to prevent the muscles that aren’t used regularly from becoming weak and shrinking. Conductive therapy helps to improve the fine and gross motor skills of the patient. This type of therapy can be done for several hours five days a week and it involves having a group of children together while encouraging them to participate in the therapy with games and songs.
A new technique involves the cooling of the forearm before the patient tries to engage in some type of activity such as eating or writing. It only last for about thirty minutes at a time but it can help the patient be more independent. In some cases medicines may be used but they don’t work as well for Ataxic CP as they do for other types of cerebral palsy.
It can be very difficult living with Ataxic cerebral palsy but the treatments can help to reduce the symptoms and make the patient more comfortable. It’s important to try different treatments until you find what works the best for each individual.
