Cerebral palsy (CP) seems to have overtaken polio as a primary cause of limb deformity, which is a cause for worry, a senior city–based orthopaedic surgeon has said.

“I have been operating on children for limb correction on students from various districts of Maharashtra. It has come to light during the course of these surgeries that limb deformity is more due to reasons other than polio. The maximum non–polio cause seems to be CP,” Dr Gowerdhan Ingale of Ramkrishna Hospital said.

The trend shows that 45 per cent cases are of CP, 10 per cent polio, 10 per cent due to infection, 5 per cent because of vitamin deficiency, 3 per cent hormonal problems and rest 27 per cent are other causes.

It happens when the areas of the brain that control movement and posture do not develop correctly or get damaged. Some babies are born with cerebral palsy; others get it after birth.

“Incidence of CP has increased by four to five per cent from one to two per cent in last one decade. This increase could be due to more cases getting reported for treatment. But we need to create more awareness among parents that therapy, support equipment, and medical intervention can go a long way,” Ingale said.