Cerebral Palsy

The term cerebral palsy is not a diagnosis, but a broad, "umbrella" term for a wide range of physical disabilities , motor disorders, which impair the control of movement and posture. Cerebral refers to the brain's two hemispheres and palsy refers to any condition marked by tremor or any disorder that impairs control of body movement. This condition is characterized by poor muscle control, spasticity, paralysis and other neurological deficiencies resulting from a brain injury that occurs during pregnancy, during birth after birth or before age 5.

There are many reasons for CP some being premature placental separation in utero, infection, stroke, traumatic birth (cord around the neck), prematurely.

Premature infants are particularly vulnerable, possibly in part because the blood vessels of the brain are poorly developed and bleed easily or can't supply sufficient oxygen. In all of these incidences there is a lack of oxygen to the brain which has a devastating affect to the new born brain which needs adequate oxygen to not only exist but to continue to develop.

The symptoms of CP can range from barely noticeable clumsiness to severe spasticity that contorts the arms and legs and confine the child to a wheelchair. It is important to note that most people with cerebral palsy are not intellectually disabled, and even those who are unable to walk, speak, or control their movement may have perfectly normal intelligence which occurs in about 40% of the children.

There are five main types of cerebral palsy:

1. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type, occurring in 70 - 80% of the children. Spasticity refers to the stiffness or tightness in the muscles and is usually accompanied by weakness in the affected limb.
2. Choreoathetoid or athetoid cerebral palsy is characterized by uncontrolled spontaneous muscle movements of the arms, legs and body which are slow and writhing movements but they may also be abrupt and jerky. Children often have very weak muscles. This conditions occurs in about 20% of children with cerebral palsy.
3. Ataxic cerebral palsy causes unsteady, shaky movements which are accompanied by problems with clumsiness, balance and poor coordination. Muscle weakness and trembling occur. Children with this disorder have difficulty making rapid or fine movements and walk unsteadily with legs widely spaced. This condition occurs in 10% of children with cerebral palsy.
4. Dystonia is usually a severe for of cerebral palsy and may vary between extreme stiffness and extreme floppiness. There may be spasm in the muscles of the shoulders, neck and trunk. The arm is often held in a rotated position and the head is drawn back and to one side.
5. Mixed is where there are two of the above types, most often spastic and athetoid are combined and occurs in many children.

Other terms are used to describe the parts of the body affected:

Hemiplegia involves the arm and leg on only one side of the body.

Diplegia involves mainly the legs with the arms affected to a lesser extent.

Quadriplegia involves all four limbs, either equally or to a greater degree in the arms. Muscles in the head and face may also be affected.

In all forms of cerebral palsy, speech may be difficult to understand because the child has difficulty controlling the muscles involved in speech. About 25% of children with cerebral palsy also have seizures (epilepsy).

Treating cerebral palsy with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is considered experimental even though it is widely used throughout the world. Strong emotions develop between "believers and non-believers" in the world of hyperbarics. It must be noted that HBOT is not a cure for cerebral palsy but offers a way to activate damaged or dormant brain cells which have been deprived of oxygen for a period of time.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy relieves the oxygen starvation of the brain known as hypoxia. Since full blood circulation to specific areas of the brain are impaired, increasing the rate at which oxygen diffuses into all of the body's fluids, increases the amount of oxygen carried to the hypoxic brain tissues. Oxygen enriched cerebrospinal fluid will help to repair any recoverable brain tissue that is intact but not functioning normal. In many cases, HBOT has shown these idling neurons have started to function more efficiently, producing long term improvements in both brain and clinical function. With the improvement of micro circulation and the relief of any brain swelling, a patient can experience a reduction in spasticity and an improvement in cognitive ability, vision, hearing and speech.

With HBO, 100% oxygen is breathed through a mask or clear hood when a patient reaches a depth which is appropriate for the condition being treated. In the case of CP, the patient is treated at a depth of 1.5 ata and not greater than 1.75 ata or 16.5 - 24 feet below sea level in either a monoplace chamber holding one person or a multiplace chamber which can seat multiple people, which is the case in our chamber at Reimer Hyperbaric. At our facility, the patient is accompanied by either a parent or caregiver if necessary and will sit on the bench seats next to other patients with the same condition and a chamber attendant. The chamber is pressurized and when the appropriate depth is reached the patients starts to breath the 100% oxygen for 60 minutes. When the treatment is over, the mask or hood is removed and the pressure inside the chamber is slowly released, bringing everyone back to the atmospheric pressure of the outside of the chamber.

On needs only to scan the internet for hundreds of testimonies from parents who have children with cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injuries, seeing positive, life changing results. These "anecdotal" reports are often dismissed by the medical establishment or made fun of, however this treatment makes a great difference to the life quality of the individual concerned.

Dr. Richard Neubauer and Dr. Paul Harch are leading a loyal, growing, group of doctors and support personnel, dedicated to educating the public and especially the decision makers on the important benefits which are possible through the use of HBOT. Florida is the first state to mandate insurance companies to start paying for HBOT for select cases of cerebral palsy, near drowning and other traumatic brain injuries. Support for the International Hyperbaric Medical Association (IHMA) in which Dr. Harch is the president is essential to influence the decision makers of North America.

HBOT is a therapy whose speed and outcomes cannot be precisely predicted. This situation is shared with most standard therapies for brain injury. The difference being, only hyperbaric oxygen can stimulate tissue to improve its function. HBOT used as an adjunct therapy with physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy has given families one more tool to help give cerebral palsy victims the chance to achieve their full potential in life.

Informed parents should be the ones to make decisions for their children based on the information obtained through reading and educating themselves as to the benefits of HBOT and a reasonable expectation for clinical improvement. MUMS, a parent to parent network is a good support and information organization at which to get the required information. Dr. Neubauer has written two books; Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Hyperbaric Oxygenation for Cerebral Palsy And The Brain-Injured Child--A Promising Treatment from Best Publishing. The Proceeding of the 2nd International Symposium for Hyperbaric Oxygenation in Cerebral Palsy and the Brain-Injured Child is also available with scientific papers presented by medical practitioners from more than 14 countries who are studying the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries.

Studies and treatments are ongoing worldwide to assist children with cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury and have it used as an accepted mode of therapy so eventually no child is denied treatment for reasons of lack of either funds or information to obtain hyperbaric oxygen therapy.