I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get worse?
I was born with a mild case of cerebral palsy, and it is mostly in my legs. I wasn't the best walker or runner when I was a kid, but it was satisfactory. Now that I am almost 40, my legs have been getting worse. I can't walk on most kind of floors anymore. I started walking with a cane 6 years ago, and I have talked to a normal doctor about this, but like always, they didn't know the answer. I would like to see a neorologist, but they are very expensive. I was hoping that I would find someone here to help me. Is it possible that my legs can age faster than the rest of my body?
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
I've seen some older posts of folks who are similar to you who have experienced similar problems as they got older. Some of them think it was made worse by not stretching and exercising as much as they once had. Maybe you can find those posts. Best of luck.
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwmom
I've seen some older posts of folks who are similar to you who have experienced similar problems as they got older. Some of them think it was made worse by not stretching and exercising as much as they once had. Maybe you can find those posts. Best of luck.
Thanks for the reply. I was hoping for some direct answers.
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Hi There,
I'm sorry I have no direct experience as an ab person but my son has spastic cp and it is something I think about. I can only imagine that the legs, if they are what is affected, would seem as though they are aging because it takes so much more effort to keep them going if you know what I mean. As you age every muscle is going to tighten and make it seem as if the cp is worsening. Much the same as a cold winter will do the same. Have you tried hydrotherapy? I know lots of cp people who have turned to this to exercise and stretch the muscles to keep them as supple as possible. Just a thought
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
As you probably know the original damage done to your brain, whatever the cause, will not get worse, but the effects of walking incorrectly for years will take their toll on you. Your problem areas will show the biggest difference, and I would think that will affect areas closest to them first. What I mean is, if your legs and feet are tight and weak it can affect your hips eventually too because hips are part of walking. Your legs and hips affect your back also.
I am now 36 and just the past couple years I feel my leg muscles are getting tighter. I don't exercise at all so that is probably a factor to some extent. Also I am not walking as much as I did since I am done with school and I'm not working anymore, so probably the less you use your legs the more they tighten up. I don't know how much stretching and strengthening exercises would help you; all my life people have tried to convince me of that but I personally hit a wall and after a while did not improve in some muscle groups. I think no one really knows what works, honestly. Doctors seem to do a lot of guessing with older people. Your best bet is probably a combination of a neurologist and orthopedist, ideally an adult CP specialist, which as I've said on here is VERY hard to find. Definitely see someone who sees adults and not just children; we are a whole different ballgame for children's doctors and trust me it is not a wise move to assume they know what to do with us. That's a huge mistake I made in the past. Good luck, wish I had better answers for you.
Last edited by yankeegirl; 03-25-2012 at 11:58 PM.
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Thanks for the message. I am so glad I am not the only one here that is going through this. I, too, wish that someone will come up with all of this with adults that have CP soon.
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
I am 41 yrs old born with mild cp as well! at age 35 i started to notice a progression of aging in my legs as well as other things.The report says I am aging 20 yrs faster than average person.. So basicly I am a 41 yr old with a 61 yr old nervous system. Function is getting harder. I am doin research , to try and find some help for people like you and I . I will try to contact you later with something more helpful. Just know you are not alone!
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Thank you so much. I am glad to see that someone else is trying to find some information about all of this. Keep me posted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angelcom34
I am 41 yrs old born with mild cp as well! at age 35 i started to notice a progression of aging in my legs as well as other things.The report says I am aging 20 yrs faster than average person.. So basicly I am a 41 yr old with a 61 yr old nervous system. Function is getting harder. I am doin research , to try and find some help for people like you and I . I will try to contact you later with something more helpful. Just know you are not alone!
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
I was very happy to see this message board. I was just diagnosed with spastic diplegia today at the age of 51. At first I was shocked & said no way, but it explains so much that has happened with my body - the most unusual (to date) was bilateral knee replacement at 45 without any history of injury. I feel relieved to have a reason that my leg muscles have always been tight. Unfortunately, it is now affecting my hips & lower back. I see a chiropractor & massage therapist 2x week. It seems if I stay regular with the massage, the tightness can be held at bay.
Now, I have decided that if CP is the correct diagnosis, I have truly been blessed to have made it to this age without the CP being obvious. I learned to walk with these muscles because I didn't know any better and will continue to walk because it's what I've always done.
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Wow, that is interesting that you just found out about it recently, because more people find out about their CP when they are 1 or 2 years old.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Late Life CP
I was very happy to see this message board. I was just diagnosed with spastic diplegia today at the age of 51. At first I was shocked & said no way, but it explains so much that has happened with my body - the most unusual (to date) was bilateral knee replacement at 45 without any history of injury. I feel relieved to have a reason that my leg muscles have always been tight. Unfortunately, it is now affecting my hips & lower back. I see a chiropractor & massage therapist 2x week. It seems if I stay regular with the massage, the tightness can be held at bay.
Now, I have decided that if CP is the correct diagnosis, I have truly been blessed to have made it to this age without the CP being obvious. I learned to walk with these muscles because I didn't know any better and will continue to walk because it's what I've always done.
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Quote:
Originally Posted by KimmieDee10
Thanks for the message. I am so glad I am not the only one here that is going through this. I, too, wish that someone will come up with all of this with adults that have CP soon.
Kimmie,
I'm 29 and feel my legs getting worse as I get older. My legs, knees, back, and ankles ache often. I try to be active to stretch my muscles but my legs get too tired too quickly. I can feel how tight my hamstrings are and its crazy. I have almost no ability to move my left foot anymore. I used be able to sort of wiggle my toes when I was a kid. I think I may have developed arthritis in my knees and hands. I heard arthritis is common for people with CP.
I am so glad I found this message board.
~Lyndsey
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
I think you are right about arthritis. It is very possible for us to get it in our back, legs, and etc. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spookysmommy
Kimmie,
I'm 29 and feel my legs getting worse as I get older. My legs, knees, back, and ankles ache often. I try to be active to stretch my muscles but my legs get too tired too quickly. I can feel how tight my hamstrings are and its crazy. I have almost no ability to move my left foot anymore. I used be able to sort of wiggle my toes when I was a kid. I think I may have developed arthritis in my knees and hands. I heard arthritis is common for people with CP.
I am so glad I found this message board.
~Lyndsey
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Kimmie,
Like you, I have searched and searched for anything on aging with CP. I am 46 and I can honestly say that things are a lot different now then when I was in my 20's. I have talked to my doctor about this and get no answers. I don't think they have a clue. My balance is different, I fall more often and I can not get up without help if I am outside. If I fall in the house I just crawl over to a chair or something I can support myself on. I use a can more often for balance. It is scary for sure. I hope we all can find the info we seek.
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Thanks so much for sharing your story and thoughts. I, too, would like some kind of results to come up in the future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonballwizard
Kimmie,
Like you, I have searched and searched for anything on aging with CP. I am 46 and I can honestly say that things are a lot different now then when I was in my 20's. I have talked to my doctor about this and get no answers. I don't think they have a clue. My balance is different, I fall more often and I can not get up without help if I am outside. If I fall in the house I just crawl over to a chair or something I can support myself on. I use a can more often for balance. It is scary for sure. I hope we all can find the info we seek.
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Hey I'm Drew going on 26... i have mild cerebral palsy of the right side... i am losing my leg functions because of so much physical exertion i did in college.. i now am battling crippling pain in my back and legs... and if i don't get help for my back i may be in a wheel chair... i'm so young yet i feel so old... i hope things get better for you
__________________
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Quote:
Originally Posted by PMADrew09
Hey I'm Drew going on 26... i have mild cerebral palsy of the right side... i am losing my leg functions because of so much physical exertion i did in college.. i now am battling crippling pain in my back and legs... and if i don't get help for my back i may be in a wheel chair... i'm so young yet i feel so old... i hope things get better for you
Drew I am your age and have a two year old with mild spastic diplegia in mostly his right leg and wonder if trying to do a whole lot of pt now to get him to walk will just hurt him in the long run. Have you used baclofen or Botox. What advice or insight can you offer as we try to make the right decision for our kiddo?
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
I have been doing a lot of walking, and I thought it would help my legs, but it was too hard on my legs, hips, and back. Then when I went to see my doctor about it - he suggested that I go into physical therapy, and I about fell over. More walking... However, I found out that if I take it easy on my legs, they get better.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Airframes
Drew I am your age and have a two year old with mild spastic diplegia in mostly his right leg and wonder if trying to do a whole lot of pt now to get him to walk will just hurt him in the long run. Have you used baclofen or Botox. What advice or insight can you offer as we try to make the right decision for our kiddo?
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Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
I have mild spastic diplegia cerebral palsy too I was diagnosis at 3 months because I was favoring my left hand. I was born with it. I can understand how you feel with your knees. I having the same issues with my hips. I have mild bilateral hips dyplasia, the hips sockets was not completely cover or form the hips bones move around within the sockets, which hurt sometime until it pop and make a clicking noise. I want to obtain another opinion from orthopedic doctor around the area of Syracuse or Utica New York in the United States.
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Yes, I have mild spastic diplegia cerebral palsy and used a small amount of baclofen for tightness in my legs. I`m going to be reference to another doctor for Botox. My insight and experience with my own disabilities I have for you is to ensure your child continue with PT through their life and do not left the school stop pt, because they did that with me when I was almost walking. In addition, you should ensure that the pt teaches your child to property walk with their crutches they never taught me how to do that. Lastly but not the least do not left the school system control your child education and water down their work, they did that with me. They dropped me in math and it did not helped me in the long run especially when I was in college. I had to learned the math in college. I had done therapy horse back riding before, which had greatly improved my balances and hips at the time, I do not know why I stopped, but I think because I was to old
Re: I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get wors
Hi I was diagnosed with spastic diplegia at 3 years of age I am now 48 I have noticed that my muscles have got tighter as I have got older.
I have just gone back to my specialist who now wants to lengthen my tendons
I must say I have in the past three months I have been going to the gym at least three times a week to stretch my muscles My walking has got better but with walking on my toes has caused pain in my feet and my toes curling to grip for better balance hence the now planed surgery
I am in my late 30's and I have Cerebral Palsy. Is it possible for it to get worse? 
