Cerebral palsy comes in different forms, and within each different form, there can be tremendous variance in the severity of the symptoms that the sufferer deals with. Because of that, treatments are very broad. Over time, however, one commonality between the various treatments available has been that they have been more effective overall in treating this disorder.
Cerebral palsy treatments entail many different types. Among the most common are:
All of these different therapies have shown promise in their own way. For example, surgical techniques have become advanced enough that it is possible for doctors to isolate and sever the nerves that cause muscle spasms and other issues for people with cerebral palsy. This can mean a permanent end to certain types of spasms and involuntary movements.
Stem cell therapies, with the stem cells being harvested from the child’s own umbilical cord or from their fat, have shown promise in helping to regenerate nerve tissue, which is really at the forefront of medical science. Someday, these types of therapies may well make it possible to regenerate brain matter, meaning that cerebral palsy could actually be cured. Medical science is not quite there yet, however.
Costs
Effective treatments for cerebral palsy can cost a great deal of money. For some parents, the best they can manage is to get a good assistive device to help their child be as mobile as possible and, perhaps, assistance from a caregiver and some more common and well-established therapies. Unfortunately, the most advanced therapies out there aren’t available to everyone, usually because people simply do not have the money to afford sometimes fantastically expensive surgeries and other therapies.
Some cerebral palsy injuries are the direct results of physicians or other health care providers not holding up their duty to their patient. There are lawyers who specialize in going after these doctors for negligence. When these lawyers can establish that negligence was a factor in a child developing cerebral palsy, the family may end up winning a jury award or getting a settlement from the defendant. This money can go to the child and help them to pay for the most advanced therapies possible.
Despite the fact that cerebral palsy is a sometimes devastating condition, it’s important to realize that there is always hope. Medical science is advancing very quickly and, with some of the new therapies available, children with cerebral palsy may face a much brighter future than did people with cerebral palsy even a few decades ago.