PT in Cerebral palsy

🔶How Physiotherapy Can Help In Cerebral Palsy?🔶

◾Introduction

▪️Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common developmental disabilities.

▪️ CP is a bracket term given for a set of neurological disorders characterized by disorders of movement and posture causing activity limitation attributed to a static disturbance in the developing brain, often accompanied by associated impairments and secondary health conditions.

🔘Physiotherapy in CP 🔘

Physiotherapy focuses on function, movement, and optimal use of the child's potential and uses physical approaches to promote, maintain and restore physical, psychological and social well-being within all environments of the child including home, school, recreation, and community environments.

♦️Therapeutic Intervention♦️

1️⃣Passive Stretching

It is a manual application for spastic muscles to relieve soft tissue tightness. Manual stretching may increase range of movements, reduce spasticity, or improve walking efficiency in children with spasticity. The types of stretching used include;

1)Fast / Quick

2)Prolonged

3)Maintained

2️⃣Manual Stretching

Prolonged manual stretch may be applied manually, using the effect of body weight and gravity or mechanically, using machine or splints. Stretch should provide sufficient force to overcome hypertonicity and passively lengthen the muscle.

3️⃣Weight Bearing

Weight bearing has been reported to reduce contracture in the lower limb through use of Tilt-tables, and standing frames through a prolonged stretch. Angles are key to ensure the knees remain extend during the prolonged stretch as the force exerted on the knee can be quite high.

4️⃣Splinting

Splints and casts are external devices “Splints and casts are external devices designed to apply, distribute or remove forces to or from the body in a controlled manner to perform one or both basic functions of control of body motion and alteration or prevention in the shape of body tissue.”

5️⃣ Serial Casting

Serial casting is a common technique that is used and most effective in managing spasticity related contracture. Serial casting is a specialized technique to provide an increased range of joint motion.

6️⃣Static Weight-bearing Exercises

Stimulation of antigravity muscle strength, prevention of hip dislocation, reduction in spasticity and improvements in bone mineral density, self-confidence and motor function have all been achieved through the use of Static Weight-Bearing exercises such as Tilt-Table and Standing Frame.

7️⃣Muscle Strengthening Exercises

It aims to increase the power of weak antagonist muscles and of the corresponding spastic agonists and to provide the functional benefits of strengthening in children with CP.

8️⃣Functional Exercises

Training related to specific functional activities combining aerobic and anaerobic capacity and strength training in ambulatory children, has been shown to significantly improve overall physical fitness, th