What is Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral palsy is defined as damage to the motor areas of the brain, usually occurring before, during or shortly after birth. It is an umbrella-like phrase used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appears in the first years of life and which generally does not worsen over time.

The term cerebral  refers to the brain's two halves or hemispheres and palsy describes any disorder that impairs or limits control of body movement. For this reason, these disorders are not caused by problems in the muscles or nerves. Instead, they result from damage to the motor areas in the brain which disrupt the brain's ability to adequately control movement and posture. <back

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© 1999 CHARFOOS & CHRISTENSEN, P.C. Updated:January, 2011