Does surgery for cerebral palsy work?

  Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to brain cells before birth, at birth, or during the neonatal period after birth due to various reasons. Common causes include premature low birth weight, hypoxic asphyxia, jaundice, cerebral hemorrhage, intracranial infection, etc.  The most common type of cerebral palsy is the spastic type, and prematurity is the main cause. It is characterized by limb spasms, high muscle tone, stiffness of the limbs, inward thighs, toe standing walking, and scissor walk. This is due to the inability to inhibit the excitatory currents coming from the muscles after damage to the brain cells that govern movement. When the muscles contract and spasm for a long time, they will slowly shorten, and the joints and bones will slowly deform, which will seriously affect the walking function.  The treatment of cerebral palsy mainly includes various early rehabilitation treatments, and the earlier the treatment, the better. Some children may need surgical intervention after the age of 4. The posterior lumbar spinal nerve root selective excision and peripheral nerve selective excision can cut off the nerve fibers that cause muscle overexcitation. If tendon contracture is already present, tendon release surgery can be performed six months to a year after the neurosurgery. Since the individual performance of children with cerebral palsy is different, the surgical plan needs to be individualized. The preoperative surgeon should analyze the gait and the results of each group of muscle examination to choose a treatment plan that is suitable for the individual and ultimately achieve good results.