Has your child been recently diagnosed with hemiplegia and you are wondering if certain hemiplegia types are curable or not?
Looking at your child to strive hard even to do the minuest task is the most depressing thing for a parent. This distress increases many fold when you wonder about the future of you.
The fear instilled in parents regarding the future of their child is genuine and sometimes this fear affects their mental well-being. While previously this fear was for real because there was no treatment to reverse hemiplegia.
But this is not the case anymore. With advancement in healthcare there have been several treatments that help in altering hemiplegia.
Despite the popular notion among doctors practicing conventional medicine who still believe that hemiplegia is incurable , it is not the case anymore.
To get a deeper insight about the treatment in consideration about the treatment for hemiplegia you should first know the type of hemiplegia your child has. Once the doctor determines the type of hemiplegia you can get your answer as which hemiplegia types are curable?
But before understanding the hemiplegia treatment for different types of hemiplegia let us first understand its types.
What are the different hemiplegia types?
Typically, Hemiplegia is marked by paralysis on one side of the body. Depending on the part of body affected te hemiplegia is divided into multiple types including:
Facial Hemiplegia
In this form of l hemiplegia where the muscles on one side of the face are paralyzed, and is caused usually after a stroke or similar brain injury.
Spinal Hemiplegia
Spinal hemiplegia is caused due to a spinal cord injury. Sometimes this type of hemiplegia can affect only one part of the body whereas when the spinal cord is completely damaged, it usually results in total paralysis on both the sides of the body.
Contralateral Hemiplegia
Contralateral hemiplegia happens after an injury to the brain which damages the brain. Generally the paralyzed side of the body is the opposite side from where the brain damage occurred.
Cerebral Hemiplegia
When hemiplegia is caused in people having cerebral palsy (or other conditions affecting the brain), it can be called cerebral hemiplegia.
Spastic Hemiplegia
Spastic hemiplegia affects the muscles on one side of the body. During spastic hemiplegia the muscles are under state of constant contraction it can cause chronic muscle pain, deformities in affected area.
Crossed Hemiplegia:
Crossed hemiplegia or alternating hemiplegia is a form of hemiplegia in which the symptoms of hemiplegia are seen on the opposite side of the body that the side that got hurt. Which means if the left structure of the brain gets hurt the hemiplegia will develop on the right side of the body.
Now that we understand about the different types of hemiplegia let us understand its treatment.
What are the different conventional hemiplegia treatments?
Conventionally the treatment for hemiplegia includes multidisciplinary rehabilitation like
- Physiotherapy
- Modified constraint-induced movement therapy (mCIMT)
- Assistive devices like brace, cane, wheelchair, or walker.
- Mental imagery to activate the parts of the brain responsible for movement.
- Electrical stimulation to stimulate muscular movement by using electrical pads
Although these treatments help in managing the symptoms of hemiplegia to an extent they do not offer any cure.
Has cell based therapy emerged as a viable hemiplegia treatment?
Yes! Cell-based therapy has emerged as a viable solution for hemiplegia treatment.
However, you must understand that the stem cell procedure does not offer an instant cure for hemiplegia but fastens the process of hemiplegia reversal.
Studies suggest that the cell based therapy exhibits promising results in regenerating and repairing damaged brain and spinal cells that cause hemiplegia.
Although stem cell therapy has amazing healing properties in a few cases, it might be a bit difficult to reverse hemiplegia only with the help of cell-based therapy. In such cases, few additional therapies may also be required.
Hemiplegias like Facial hemiplegia are curable with the help of stem cell therapy. However, for other types of hemiplegias you may require additional therapies to manage the condition.
Generally, stem cell experts, who have treated people having hemiplegia with good results, will be able to share the expected results and other modalities such protol, source of stem cell, number of cycles etc after analyzing the reports in initial consultation.
What is the right time for you to initiate stem cell therapy for hemiplegia?
Cell based therapy works best when initiated at an early stage.
During the initial stage of hemiplegia the probability of healing damaged cells spinal cord and brain cells is greater. Also by initiating stem cell therapy at an early stage the child does not suffer much with the symptoms associated with hemiplegia.
If your child is diagnosed with hemiplegia, think of stem cell therapy, treatment to ensure early treatment without letting your child to struggle with its symptoms.
What are the factors you should consider before selecting a doctor for your stem cell treatment for hemiplegia?
Since advanced cell-based therapy is a new procedure, only a small number of doctors and researchers are trained to perform it.
These few stem cell practitioners have the expertise in performing stem cell therapies as they have studied in detail this treatment procedure and hold expertise in performing this procedure. Since they specialize in this field they can deliver good results only in specific conditions.
Therefore, you must ensure to choose a stem cell expert who has consistently delivered good results in hemiplegia treatment.
Conclusion:
By understanding the different types of hemiplegia you can understand about the best hemiplegia treatment that can come in handy based on its type. Once you understand the different types of hemiplegia you can select the best hemiplegia treatment available to fasten its reversal.
Stem cell therapy has emerged as a viable alternative that speeds up the treatment for hemiplegia along with traditional treatment.
Although cell-based therapy can reverse hemiplegia, parents must understand that the research about stem cell therapy for hemiplegia is still in an early stage.
Despite that stem cell therapy has shown positive results in curing hemiplegia we suggest you consult your doctor and seek their opinion if stem cell therapy is helpful for your child or not.
FAQ:
What are the symptoms of hemiplegia?
The symptoms of hemiplegia are:
– Stiffness of muscles
– Contracted muscles
– Poor fine motor skills
– Difficulty in walking
– Difficulty in balancing the body
– Trouble grasping objects
Is hemiplegia a stroke?
Although hemiplegia occurs after a stroke it cannot be considered as a stroke because unlike in stroke hemiplegia, causes one-sided paralysis, which could make it difficult or impossible to move.
Does hemiplegia go away?
With proper and timely hemiplegia can be reversed with advanced cell-based therapy. However in conventional treatment methods there is no cure for hemiplegia.
Can you recover from hemiplegia?
In traditional treatment there is no cure for hemiplegia however with the latest advancement in healthcare people can recover from hemiplegia if they initiate the treatment at an early stage. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a viable treatment solution for reversing hemiplegia.
How does hemiplegia affect the brain?
Hemiplegia is sometimes caused due to injury of the brain which may cause:
– Trouble concentrating
– Memory problemS
– Speech issues
– Behavior changes
– Speech issues
– Seizures
Does hemiplegia affect speech?
Generally, hemiplegia causes stiffness, and a lack of control in the affected side of the body. However, sometimes hemiplegia can cause seizure, visual disorder and speech difficulties too.
Does hemiplegia cause pain?
Pain is frequent in people having hemiplegia. People having hemiplegia often experience pain which generally discourages people having hemiplegia from undergoing any rehabilitation program.
What is the current status of Stem cell therapy from the regulatory framework?
The stem cell-based therapy is in the research phase and not yet formally approved by ICMR. However, the application of stem cells, popularly known as bone marrow transplants, in blood-related disorders is approved by ICMR.
