CEREBRAL PALSY DEFINITION

Cerebral palsy (CP) is not a disease or an illness but a physical impairment affecting muscle control and movement. A person with cerebral palsy has difficulty controlling movement and posture; they may have problems walking, talking, eating and playing. Cerebral Palsy may be mild, affecting one limb, or it may affect the whole body. There may be associated abnormalities such as mental retardation and sensory problems such as deafness and visual defects.

The prevalence of cerebral palsy is on the increase mainly due to the increase in survival of very pre-term babies. The incidence is one to three in every thousand births.

Cerebral palsy does not get worse over time.