Cerebral Palsy Day

It was a fashion show with a difference! The show was complete with fancy dresses, beautiful get ups and an enthusiastic audience, but the models who walked the ramp were not glitzy and super sculpted performers of the showbiz world.

Far from it, they were children born with different abilities trying to prove a
point to a world that looks at them as ‘different’ people.

A number of children who are living with a range of disabilities attributed to Cerebral Palsy participated in a fashion show and a series of other activities organized by Parijma  neurodiagnostic &Rehabilitation Center to mark the Cerebral Palsy Day.

They walked with élan, conscious of their different abilities yet confident in their demeanour with a simple plea to the able-bodied people: ‘We are also like you’.

Cerebral Palsy is a very common neurologic motor disorder that makes life extremely difficult for those living with it.

People who are fortunate enough to be born normal often fail to understand that for the not-so-fortunate ones among us living with Cerebral Palsy, even little activities like eating a meal or having a bath can be a challenge.

And for the families of such children life is far from normal. There are 17 million people across the world living with cerebral palsy (CP).

Another 350 million people are closely connected to a child or adult with CP which is the most common physical disability in childhood. Its impact can range from a weakness in one hand, to almost a complete lack of voluntary movement.

While there is no permanent cure for the disorder, some efforts can be made to improve the quality of life of people suffering from it. "We need to make the world around them more sensitive to their needs and conditions and encourage them,” says Dr. Suresh Rao Aroor, Director and Chief Neurologist & Pediatric
Neurologist, Parijma Neurodiagnostic & Rehabilitation Centre.

Marking the 4th National Cerebral Palsy Day, Parijma Neuro Rehabilitation Center that takes special care of children living with Cerebral Palsy and related disabilities organized day long events to offer support and ideas to differently-abled children and make this world a better place for them.

Dr. Aroor stressed on the importance of early recognition and intervention as the key to the success and long term improvement of this disorder. With this in mind, Parijma neurodiagnostic and Rehabilitation Centre works with the idea of ‘Total neurocare under one roof’. Parijma is a very unique institute which is multi – disciplinary, having paediatric neurologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists and early intervention psychologists required for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of such patients.

Dr Aroor says the lives of people with motor disorders is already a difficult one and a world that is not sensitive to their needs makes it enough worse. “Sensitivity comes with awareness and the latter is something which needs to be generated. Our activities of organizing a walkathon cum fashion show for children with CP and drawing and painting sessions was an initiative to make people living with the disorder feel normal yet special. As also it is an effort to make the general public aware of their condition. In this regard, we are proud to be associated with “Ashwasan” which is a non profitable public charitable trust caring to the needs of children with cerebral palsy”said Dr Aroor.

For example, in people with debilitating upper limb spasticity, the increased tone can be controlled by injecting botulinum toxin A popularly known as Botox into the affected muscles, in addition to physical therapy and other rehabilitation measures.