Celebral Palsy

24yearslater

Hello

First time posting here, so apologies if I'm doing things wrong. I have a question for anyone who has experience of cerebral palsy.

My daughter has recently turned 5, and just before Christmas she was diagnosed with a mild form of CP in right side. From the time she was less than 1 we thought there may be something up, as she seemed to have one leg v slightly shorter than the other. She was also slow to sit up & walk, and she always appeared very nervous when climbing. We brought her to see a number of specialists, and we were initially told she had a slight twist in her hip, but that this would correct itself fully by the time she reached 10. She showed further problems as she got older, such as messy eating habits, toilet training issues, etc. We then brought her to another specialist, who diagnosed the CP, saying she probably encountered brain tissue damage in the womb. To say that we were shocked was an understatement, and it has taken all I have to come to terms with the news. We are fortunate in that her intellectual ability isn't affected, but physical disabilities are becoming more obvious. She currently is unable to put her right foot down flat on the ground, instead she walks around on the ball of her foot. Her left side is completely unaffected.

We are now getting professional help with her, and the support is wonderful. However, they have come up with a potential assistance that I am uncomfortable with, and I am wondering if anyone else has come accross this. The problem with her leg is that the muscles are pulled too tight, and that they are pulling her leg up and not letting her put it flat on the ground. This is called spasticity of the muscle. The suggested solution is to inject botox into the muscles - this will relax them and allow the leg to go down. A leg brace/splint is then fitted to help support the loosened leg. Apparently this is what botox is really for, not for facelifts etc as preferred by celebs. However the botox effect wears off after 6-9 months, and the treament will have to be repeated. It is hoped over time (possibly 5-10 years, I don't know) with numerous treatments that the muscles will stretch sufficently to allow the leg to come down permanently.

Has anyone elso come accross this treament for themselves or other people they know? I would be grateful for any feedback as I am reluctant to go ahead without any real case examples.

Thank you

fergal.b

Hi 24yearslater my son has CP and has had the botox done on his hand as his thumb was pulled tight against his palm and he could not hold things, the botox work great and his thumb is out now he might have to go back to get the backs of his legs done as they are getting tight but as he can't walk anyway they are not to worried about it at the moment.
A lot of CP kids have botox done and it has work wonders for them so I wouldn't worry about it.

Best of luck.




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24yearslater

^^^ Thanks fergal.b - appreciate the reply. Hope your boy is going to be ok