CEREBRAL PALSY AND HBOT Cerebral Palsy In the United States, there are an estimated half a million people with some degree of cerebral palsy, with almost 7000 children newly diagnosed with the condition every year. Causes vary from oxygen deprivation at birth to infections within the brain tissues to severe head injury. The condition involves the inability to control movement due to neurological dysfunction in areas, which regulate motor skills. Severity of the condition can range from difficulty with fine motor tasks to patients who suffer from seizures or cognitive impairment. While there is currently no cure for cerebral palsy, researchers are investigating new and revolutionary means of treating the condition with promising results. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Recent studies have demonstrated a dramatic improvement in Cerebral Palsy symptomology when hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used as a treatment. Researchers in Brazil found a significant alleviation in symptomology and other characteristics in a study involving 218 cerebral palsy patients. Significant enhancements were documented showing improved vision, hearing and speech as well as a reduction of spasticity by 50%, which occurred in 94% of study patients. In a recent study by the University of Texas Medical Center, persons with cerebral palsy were treated with hyperbaric oxygen to determine its effects on motor skills. Researchers found a decrease in spasticity as well as improvements in gross motor and fine motor skills. An Ashworth Spasticity Scale as well as a test of gross motor and fine motor function were completed before and after hyperbaric therapy. Why does hyperbaric help persons with cerebral palsy? Scientists have varying opinions on why the therapy is so successful as a treatment for the condition. Some theories suggest that the brain of some persons with CP are lacking oxygen and in a dormant, or sleeping state due to lack of blood flow. Hyperbaric forces oxygen into tissues throughout the body including brain tissues and fluid, resulting in a re-awakening of dormant areas of the brain. Other theories state that excessive swelling in the brain results in a lack of oxygen causing the inability of myelin sheaths to develop properly. Oxygen is forced into these damaged areas, through the pressurization of hyperbarics, which alleviates brain swelling by constricting blood vessels. In addition, hyperbarics is thought to provide an optimal environment to assist in the regeneration of brain tissue. 909.477.4545 hbot4u #CP #HBOT
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 03:45:07 +0000
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