Category Archives: Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy Athletes Smash Records at Paralympics
Cheers, tears and jeers filled the stadium throughout the London 2012 Summer Paralympics, a major sporting event for disabled athletes following the 2012 Summer Olympics. After the Summer Olympics, the Paralympics were the largest multi-sport event that London ever hosted. There were many inspiring success stories, including Josef Craig, a swimmer with cerebral palsy who broke his own world record for the 400-meter freestyle. At 15, he also became Britain’s youngest gold medalist in the games’ history. Or Bethany Woodward, another British athlete with cerebral palsy, who claimed the silver in the 200 meter sprint. She said that runners with cerebral palsies face many obstacles. “It’s extremely difficult,” Woodward said. “Your body’s doing one thing and your brain’s trying to tell you to do another. It’s like a brick wall that you have to break through to get it done.” In one uncomfortable moment, Chancellor George Osborne received boos from…
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Posted in Cerebral Palsy Tagged 2012 summer olympics, bethany woodward, cerebral palsy, chancellor george osborne, josef craig, london 2012 summer paralympics Comments Off on Cerebral Palsy Athletes Smash Records at Paralympics
Surgery Options for Cerebral Palsy
On Monday we wrote about selective dorsal rhizotomy, a treatment to improve muscle control for children with spastic cerebral palsy. While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, there are surgery options for improving quality of life. Orthopedic Surgery Many children with cerebral palsy undergo orthopedic surgery in their early years. Orthopedic surgery attempts to correct stiff muscles and allow the child to walk. Some critics of this surgery point out that there is little follow-up data available, and that some benefits are temporary. Patients usually require multiple variations of this operation. Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy For people with spastic cerebral palsy, abnormal components of the nervous system send incorrect signals to muscles, resulting in spasms. In this costly procedure (about $30,000), the surgeon cuts the nerves responsible for sending these malformed signals. While this procedure is usually successful in children, more research is needed to determine if it can help…
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Posted in Cerebral Palsy Tagged cerebral palsy attorneys, cerebral palsy lawyers, intrathecal baclofen, orthopedic surgery, selective dorsal rhizotomy Comments Off on Surgery Options for Cerebral Palsy
Nerve Procedure Offers Hope for Children with Cerebral Palsy
The above video features Christian Izquierdo, a 16-year-old from Florida. When he was eight months old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Activities like running and jumping seemed forever out-of- reach – until a doctor in St. Louis changed his life. Thanks to a procedure called a selective dorsal rhizotomy, Christian can run and jump. Doctors have also noticed an improvement in his speech. A New Life Dr. T. S. Park has performed the procedure on nearly 2,400 children with cerebral palsy. Search for the surgery on YouTube and you will find several videos of children running and walking after the operation – many of them performed by Dr. Park. The surgery is not cheap – Christian’s cost nearly $32,000, and it is not covered by most out-of-state insurance companies. His family set up a website called Christian’s Crusade to raise money. The Procedure Many parents agree that the selective…
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Posted in Cerebral Palsy Tagged cerebral palsy, cerebral palsy lawyers, selective dorsal rhizotomy, spastic cerebral palsy Comments Off on Nerve Procedure Offers Hope for Children with Cerebral Palsy
