Cerebral palsy is a neurological condition that results from abnormalities or damage to an infant's brain. This damage to the brain can occur while the infant is still in her mother's womb up to age 2, according to MedlinePlus. In the United States, about 800,000 people have cerebral palsy and around 10,000 infants born each year will go on to develop cerebral palsy, noted the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Several types of cerebral palsy exist, which differ on the presenting symptoms.
The most common type of cerebral palsy is spastic cerebral palsy, which the American Pregnancy Association noted occurs in 70 to 80 percent of cerebral palsy patients. Spastic cerebral palsy patients have stiff muscles, which can make it hard for them to move. The NINDS lists three types of spastic cerebral palsy: spastic hemiparesis, spastic diparesis and spastic quadriparesis. Patients with spastic hemiparesis have stiff muscles on one side of the body, affecting their hand and arm, though the leg can also become affected. Some patients may have scoliosis or seizures. With spastic diparesis, patients have stiffness in their legs and their toes point upwards, and they may need leg braces to walk. The muscle stiffness in this type of spastic cerebral palsy does not affect the face and arms as much as it does the legs, though patients may have clumsy movements with their hands. The last type of spastic cerebral palsy is spastic quadriparesis, which the NINDS notes is the most severe type of cerebral palsy. Patients with spastic quadriparesis can have difficulty speaking, intellectual disabilities, severe muscle stiffness, frequent seizures, a floppy neck and may not be able to walk.
Between 10 to 20 percent of cerebral palsy patients have dyskinetic cerebral palsy, also called athetoid cerebral palsy, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Patients with this type of cerebral palsy have muscle tone fluctuations, meaning their muscle tone can range from overly tight to very loose. Uncontrolled writhing movements can occur in several parts of the body, including the legs, feet, arms and hands. Issues with walking, speaking, sitting straight and swallowing can arise in patients with dyskinetic cerebral palsy.
The American Pregnancy Association notes that between 5 and 10 percent of cerebral palsy patients have ataxic cerebral palsy. With this type of cerebral palsy, patients have problems with their balance. For example, they can have a gait in which their feet are far apart. Patients can have problems with precise movements, which includes writing, according to the NINDS.
MedlinePlus lists another type of cerebral palsy: hypotonic cerebral palsy. The California Department of Developmental Services defined this type of cerebral palsy as “a lack of normal muscle tone or tension associated with muscle flaccidity and weakness.” This differs from hypertonic, in which patients have rigid muscles and spasticity. Patients can also have mixed cerebral palsy, in which they have symptoms from several types of the disorder.