Is it cerebral palsy if a baby rolls over on his side?

Cerebral palsy is also called cerebral palsy in children. As the child's body gradually develops, the symptoms of cerebral palsy will gradually appear. A child's side rolling does not necessarily mean he has cerebral palsy. It also depends on other related symptoms. Of course, you should take the child to the hospital for examination in time to determine the cause. There are many early symptoms of cerebral palsy, including many types, such as athetoid arthritis, spasticity, ataxia, etc.

Early symptoms of cerebral palsy

1. Athetosis : often manifested as involuntary "worm-like" movements of the limbs, head, face, or whole body muscles. It worsens when nervous or excited, and eases when quiet. The hyperactivity disappears after falling asleep.

The symptoms of hyperactivity are particularly obvious when performing conscious actions. For example, when taking an object, one cannot touch the object smoothly, but instead raises the upper limbs high or stretches them backwards, shakes the whole body, exerts force, and has increased facial muscle activity and strange expressions. The ability of coordinated movement is extremely poor. Due to the involvement of facial muscles, tongue muscles and vocal muscles, language disorders are often present.

2. Spastic type: Most children with cerebral palsy belong to this type, which is also the most common clinical type. The child has difficulty abducting both thighs, the knees are difficult to straighten after flexion, and the gastrocnemius muscles contract, causing Achilles tendon contracture. When held upright, the lower limbs are straightened, adducted and internally rotated, and the legs are crossed in a scissor shape. When walking, the patient has a "scissor-like" spastic paralysis gait, with the toes touching the ground. The upper limbs show flexion of the elbow and wrist joints.

3. Ataxia type: This type is less common and is mainly manifested by signs of cerebellar lesions, common nystagmus, dysmetria, unstable gait, shaking and intention tremor, etc. Muscle tone is low and tendon reflexes are not hyperactive.

4. Other types:

(1) Myotonic type: The main manifestations are extrapyramidal symptoms such as lead pipe-like or gear-like increased muscle tension, and tendon reflexes are not hyperactive.

(2) Hypotonia type: characterized by low muscle tone, but tendon reflexes are present or hyperactive.

(3) Tremor type: manifested as resting tremor, which is related to extrapyramidal system involvement.

5. Children with cerebral palsy often suffer from extensive brain damage, so it is common for them to have other neurological abnormalities. For example, 25-80% of the children suffer from mental retardation; 25-50% of the children suffer from epilepsy.

How to prevent cerebral palsy in children

1. Prevention before birth

(1) Implementing premarital health care: popularizing prenatal screening, providing guidance on sexual health, fertility and genetic diseases to men and women who are preparing to get married; providing consultation on issues such as marriage and fertility, and conducting medical examinations on diseases that may affect marriage and fertility for both men and women, and providing medical advice.

(2) Take good care of yourself during pregnancy: provide health education, regular prenatal check-ups, increase nutrition, prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases, etc. Avoid prenatal infection and taking contraindicated medications, and avoid contact with X-rays, toxic chemicals, etc. Strengthen labor protection in late pregnancy and reduce premature births.

2. Prevention during the perinatal period

(1) Increase the rate of hospitalization for childbirth in rural areas and strengthen obstetricians and pediatricians’ supervision during delivery.

(2) Rationally use oxytocin and popularize new neonatal resuscitation techniques.

(3) Avoid premature birth and low birth weight.

(4) Prevent suffocation and intracranial hemorrhage.

(5) Prevent and treat hyperbilirubinemia.