People often ask me what it’s like having Cerebral Palsy.
I usually don’t like talking about it. I’ve been teased and ridiculed enough growing up to be conditioned to the idea that no one really cares; they just ask out of sympathy.
So it remains a little talked subject in my life. I exist day to day and try to ignore the pain as much as I can. Even my own husband doesn’t know what I go through to live and walk and work each day. There are some days where it hurts to take a step, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that slow me down.
What most people don’t realise, however, is that there are three different kinds of Cerebral Palsy. Each affects the body in it’s own way and has very different symptoms. All children who have Cerebral Palsy have damage to the area of the brain that affects the muscle tone of their body in one of three ways
The three kinds of Cerebral Palsy are as follows:
Spastic Cerebral Palsy
This is the most common type of Cerebral Palsy. Children who have Spastic Cerebral Palsy have one or more tight muscle groups which limit movement. People with Spastic Cerebral palsy have stiff and jerky movements and have a hard time moving from one position to another. They have a hard time holding and letting go of objects.
They also experience spasms through out their body, depending on where the Cerebral Palsy affects them most. Most will feel pain in their legs and back muscles as they hardly ever relax completely.
Athetoid Cerebral Palsy
Less common than Spastic Cerebral Palsy, Athetoid Cerebral Palsy is caused by damage to the cerebellum or basal ganglia. These areas of the brain are the ones that process the signals that enable co-ordinated movements and body posture.
A child born with Athetoid Cerebral Palsy usually develops involuntary movements, especially in the face, arms and parts of their body. It interfere’s with speaking, feeding, reaching, grasping, etc. It can also lead to trouble speaking and swallowing, drooling and slowed speech.
Ataxic Cerebral Palsy
Even less common than Spastic or Athetoid Cerebral Palsy, Ataxic Cerebral Palsy causes low muscle tone and poor co-ordination of movements. It is a rare form of Cerebral Palsy that affects ones sense of balance and depth perception.
Those born with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy have very poor co-ordination and walk unsteadily, placing their feet far apart so that they do not lose their balance. They experience a lot of shakiness, like you might see in an older person, when they handle small objects such as a pen or pencil. It also takes them longer to complete simpler tasks like writing.
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I have Spastic Cerebral Palsy
This means that my leg muscles and my back muscles are almost constantly spasming, causing me great pain through out the day. It’s also difficult for me to walk, to take simple steps, as walking also causes me pain.
Quite often it’s hard for me to get comfortable in any one position. My muscles are always protesting when I move, when I sit, when I walk. I find it hard to stand in one spot for very long, I find it hard to stand from a sitting position. Running is almost impossible, my limbs being as uncoordinated as they are.
I am in almost constant pain in one way or another and often feel as if I’m fighting my body to do simple things like walking, maintaining my balance and trying to take things one step at a time.
