Cerebral Palsy

Traditional treatment for children afflicted with cerebral palsy has been concentrated in the areas of physical therapy, splints, and sometimes surgery. These methods of treating the condition are not aimed at curing cerebral palsy or its symptoms so much as they are designed to improve the way the child lives. Traditional methods have helped the child cope with the symptoms of his or her condition, but are a far cry from a cure.

Today, however, new forms of treatment are being studied that move to a more dramatic extreme on the treatment continuum. For instance, the toxin Botulinum, now routinely used by plastic surgeons to soften facial lines by paralyzing the muscles beneath the skin, is being studied to see if similar effects could be associated with cerebral palsy symptoms. Botulinum toxin, or botox, is produced by the bacteruiim Clostridium botilinum and has been used as a muscle paralyzer for years.

Children with cerebral palsy have muscles that often contract spontaneously, and severely react to stimulation. This quality of muscular movement is a characteristic called spasticity. Children with cerebral palsy that share spastic behavior benefit from injections of botulinum toxin, or botox.

For children with cerebral palsy, an injection of botox helps to reduce spasticity and allows the person a greater degree of control over muscle movement. Botox offers a focused spasticity treatment without causing loss of sensation. The toxin, which is injected intothe child's calf muscles, saturates the muscles within seconds. The spastic muscle quickly becomes controllable, as if sedated, and the child can move it intentionally. The botox can improve the youngster's ability to walk, and may have long-term benefits as well.

Although progress in this area of treatment has been slow, parents and children express great interest and optimism in the future of botulinum toxin. For more information, follow this link http://faculty.washington.edu/smcpedpt/botox/.