Cerebral Palsy Therapy

While cerebral palsy is incurable, many of the symptoms can be treated. However, because multiple parts of the body may be affected, treatment is usually complicated and involves a multi-disciplinary approach. The exact treatment that a cerebral palsy patient undergoes also depends on the type and severity of cerebral palsy, and the absence or presence of other linked conditions such as mental retardation, visual impairment or hearing impairment.Typically, physical therapy is a central part of any cerebral palsy treatment regimen. If muscles are weak, they are exercised to prevent atrophy through lack of use. If muscles are spastic, they require treatment to prevent contracture or permanent and abnormal contraction that may result in significant mobility losses.

Other forms of physical therapy aim to improve motor development and coordination. Behavioral and psychological therapy may also be required to teach coping skills and activities of daily living, as children with cerebral palsy grow older. Speech, vision and hearing impairments may require specific therapy by specialists to minimize or remove deficits.Drugs are also used to treat cerebral palsy.

For patients with spastic cerebral palsy, muscle-relaxing drugs may be prescribed, or injections of alcohol may be given to relax certain muscle groups temporarily. Patients with athetoid cerebral palsy may be given drugs that decrease involuntary writhing movements. Anti-seizure medications are given to patients who suffer from seizures.

Various types of surgery are used to treat cerebral palsy. There are several operations to lengthen muscles that are too short. Other operations reduce the amount of nerve impulses to certain muscles, thereby reducing spasticity in them. While some types of brain surgery and implants have also been tried to treat cerebral palsy, these forms of treatment have had mixed results. Specially designed orthopedic devices and other equipment also play a role in improving posture and mobility in patients with cerebral palsy.

By: Kristy Annely