Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone or posture. It's caused by damage that occurs to the immature brain as it develops, most often before birth. Signs and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years. In general, cerebral palsy causes impaired movement associated with abnormal reflexes, floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteady walking, or some combination of these. People with cerebral palsy can have problems swallowing and commonly have eye muscle imbalance, in which the eyes don't focus on the same object. They also might have reduced range of motion at various joints of their bodies due to muscle stiffness. Cerebral palsy's effect on function varies greatly. Some affected people can walk; others need assistance. Some people show normal or near-normal intellect, but others have intellectual disabilities. Epilepsy, blindness or deafness also might be present. Factors that can lead to problems with brain development include:
People troubled with Cerebral Palsy typically have lower blood flow and metabolism in the brain. With hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), more oxygen is being pumped into the blood. Typically 20 times more oxygen is being dissolved into the body through the practice of HBOT. The increased oxygen being pumped into the body also increases the blood flow to the brain. HBOT can serve as a neutralizer of toxins in the brain, and over time, promote new blood vessel growth. There is evidence that demonstrates HBOT can reduce pressure in the brain linked to swelling, which can aid in the reparation of the blood brain barrier and cell membrane. It is thought that HBOT can actually give the brain a jump-start in supplying the situation to increase new brain tissue. This process can also act as a sort of cleaner. It searches for free radicals to clean out of the blood. In addition to all the many positive effects HBOT can have on the body it also makes oxygen available for metabolic use without consuming energy because the body is not working to absorb the oxygen on its own.