Athetoid Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe several chronic disorders that affect muscle coordination and body movement. This condition is caused by brain damage that occurs during delivery, pregnancy, or shortly after delivery. There are many different types of this disorder and athetoid cerebral palsy, also referred to as dyskenetic cerebral palsy, is one of them.

Characteristics of This Type of Cerebral Palsy

This disorder is a form of athetonia, which is characterized by writhing, slow, involuntary muscle movement. Muscle tone is mixed where some are too low and some are too high.

What Causes This Disorder

Athetoid cerebral palsy is caused by damage to a structure in the midbrain known as the basal ganglia. Approximately 25 percent of cerebral palsy patients have this type.

Symptoms of This Disorder

The slow writhing movements that patients experience most often affect the feet, legs, hands, and arms. Some patients may experience this in their tongue and facial muscles, resulting in drooling and grimacing. The uncontrollable and involuntary muscle tone fluctuations can affect the entire body in some cases. The movement caused by this disorder is often increased when the patient is experiencing increased emotional stress. When the patient is sleeping, their symptoms tend to completely disappear.

The Difficulties that Patients Face

Patients with this type of cerebral palsy face several common difficulties. These are mainly caused by the muscles alternating between tense and floppy. These unwanted movements can be large or small, irregularly repetitive, jerky, rapid, or random. This disorder can also result in a person appearing like they are constantly moving and restless, and only being able to be still when they are fully relaxed, or in some cases, fully asleep. The fluctuation can result in the patient’s inability to hold posture. Children with this disorder often have difficulty holding their body in an upright, steady position for walking or sitting. This can lead to a delay in the child having any control over her or his own mobility, in some cases it will prevent the child’s control over their own mobility.

This disorder can affect speech (dysarthia) and patients often have a lot of movement in their face. Difficulty controlling breathing, the tongue, and vocal chords is what causes the speech problems. Patients may also experience drooling and difficulty eating. The mixed muscle tone can make it difficult for patients to hold objects, such as eating utensils and pencils. Patients often have to concentrate and work harder to get their hand where they want it, such as when they need to scratch their nose.

Treating This Disorder

This disorder is not curable, but it can be treated. Once a diagnosis is made it is very important for treatment to begin immediately. Physical therapy is essential and consists of range of motion exercises to prevent the muscles from growing atrophied, weak, or rigidly fixed from contracture. Patients who experience speech problems can undergo speech therapy to help improve their speech, as well as improve their communication and swallowing. During treatment, patients can also be matched with adaptive equipment to help lessen the effects of the spasticity they experience.

Resources

Cerebral Palsy Source. (2005). Athetoid Cerebral Palsy. Retrieved on February 23, 2010 from the Cerebral Palsy Source: https://www.cerebralpalsysource.com/Types_of_CP/athetoid_cp/index.html