Hi Bob,
This is a great question, and the difference between the two is commonly misunderstood.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance offers a good explanation of cerebral palsy and its causes:
“Cerebral palsy (CP) is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is a permanent life-long condition, but generally does not worsen over time.
It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Cerebral means ‘of the brain’ and palsy refers to ‘a lack of muscle control’. It’s an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move.
It affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. People who have cerebral palsy may also have visual, learning, hearing, speech, epilepsy and intellectual impairments. There are around 34,000 people living with cerebral palsy in Australia – that’s 1 in 700 babies diagnosed with CP.”
In regards to stroke as a cause of cerebral palsy, this is what they say:
“Stroke is the most common cause (of cerebral palsy) in babies who acquire cerebral palsy after 1 month of age. The stroke may occur spontaneously or arise from surgical or heart complications.”
If you would like to read more about this, you can have a read of their website here.
To recap, cerebral palsy is an umbrella term used to describe the physical disability that occurs after brain injury, stroke being one of the most common causes. As for the case with your brother in laws, we couldn’t say. It may have been due to stroke but you would have to enquire with them directly.
I hope this helps to clear things up. Let us know if you have any more questions or wish to discuss.
Kind regards,
Meredith and Simone (StrokeLine 1800 787 653)
Hi Bob,
This is a great question, and the difference between the two is commonly misunderstood.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance offers a good explanation of cerebral palsy and its causes:
“Cerebral palsy (CP) is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. It is a permanent life-long condition, but generally does not worsen over time.
It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Cerebral means ‘of the brain’ and palsy refers to ‘a lack of muscle control’. It’s an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move.
It affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. People who have cerebral palsy may also have visual, learning, hearing, speech, epilepsy and intellectual impairments. There are around 34,000 people living with cerebral palsy in Australia – that’s 1 in 700 babies diagnosed with CP.”
In regards to stroke as a cause of cerebral palsy, this is what they say:
“Stroke is the most common cause (of cerebral palsy) in babies who acquire cerebral palsy after 1 month of age. The stroke may occur spontaneously or arise from surgical or heart complications.”
If you would like to read more about this, you can have a read of their website here.
To recap, cerebral palsy is an umbrella term used to describe the physical disability that occurs after brain injury, stroke being one of the most common causes. As for the case with your brother in laws, we couldn’t say. It may have been due to stroke but you would have to enquire with them directly.
I hope this helps to clear things up. Let us know if you have any more questions or wish to discuss.
Kind regards,
Meredith and Simone (StrokeLine 1800 787 653)