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Management of Cerebral Palsy: Best Ways to Minimize Symptoms

helpful tips for management of cerebral palsy

Effective management of cerebral palsy will help minimize your child’s symptoms and optimize their quality of life.

Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain, resulting in complications with movement, posture, balance, and coordination.

It might only affect a certain area of the body (like the legs or just the right side of the body) but can also affect the entire body.

Individuals who have motor impairments throughout their bodies may experience difficulties eating, speaking, and performing daily tasks on their own.

This article will help you understand the differences between various cerebral palsy management interventions and determine which ones your child can benefit from.

Management of Cerebral Palsy is Different for Everyone

No two cases of cerebral palsy are exactly alike, so it only makes sense that the management of cerebral palsy will require a personalized approach that caters to each individual’s specific motor impairments.

Symptoms of cerebral palsy can range from mild to severe. Generally, the more severe a person’s CP is, the more areas of the body are affected.

Although cerebral palsy is a motor disability, it can also affect other functions like communication, focus, and sleep.

Common conditions associated with cerebral palsy include:

Now that you’re aware of many of the various complications that can occur alongside or as a result of cerebral palsy, let’s go over what management interventions can help!

Management Interventions for Cerebral Palsy

management of cerebral palsy and its symptoms

Management of cerebral palsy will focus on minimizing the way symptoms affect your child’s everyday life.

Generally, a combination of interventions is ideal.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can help children with cerebral palsy improve their mobility through exercises that target weak muscles, lengthen tight muscles, and help promote full range of motion.

This will help prevent chronic pain caused by excess pressure on the joints and improve the fluidity of movements.

Physical therapy to improve one’s gait can consist of weight-bearing treadmill training, aquatic therapy, or overground training with the help of mobility aids like walkers and crutches.

The more your child practices these exercises, the more they stimulate their brain. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself and by consistently stimulating the brain, functions affected by CP can be reassigned to healthy areas of the brain. This allows symptoms of CP caused by brain damage, such as spasticity, to improve.

Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy focuses on promoting your child’s independence by practicing everyday activities.

Your child will perform practical tasks like brushing their teeth, eating, and getting dressed. This will help improve your child’s coordination and fine motor skills.

The skills learned in occupational therapy will help your child follow routines and develop heathy habits.

Occupational therapists will also assess whether your child would benefit from adaptive tools like reachers or adaptive utensils to boost their independence.

Speech Therapy

Children who experience difficulties controlling the muscles around their mouth will benefit from speech therapy.

There, they’ll practice exercises aimed to strengthen their oral motor muscles.

This will help children that have difficulties speaking better articulate their speech. Children with non-verbal cerebral palsy will learn how to use alternative forms of communication like voice generators or communication boards.

Speech therapy will also help children with feeding difficulties improve their chewing and swallowing.

Orthotics

orthotics to help manage cp

Orthotics like braces, compression garments, and casts will help promote proper musculoskeletal alignment.

Many children with cerebral palsy experience abnormal growth or deformities due to uneven muscle tension.

In fact, nearly 20-25% of children with cerebral palsy develop scoliosis (when the spine curves to the side).

Orthotics won’t prevent muscle contractions, but they can help your child practice moving with correct form and mildly stretch spastic muscles.

Diet

Eating a balanced diet is important for all children with cerebral palsy. A healthy diet will help support healthy growth, musculoskeletal health, and stable energy levels throughout the day.

Children with cerebral palsy-related feeding difficulties might struggle to consume enough calories and are at risk for malnutrition and dehydration.

Therefore, foods that are nutrient-dense, relatively high in calories, and require minimal chewing like nut butters, olive oil, and avocados are ideal to incorporate into your child’s diet if they struggle with feeding.

Medications

Many children with CP struggle to do their best during therapy because spasticity severely restricts their movement.

Medications like Botox or muscle relaxants can help temporarily reduce the excitability of spastic muscles so that children can focus on maximizing their progress in therapy.

The more they’re able to practice proper form when moving, the more they can learn to stimulate their brains to adapt and replace abnormal movement patterns.

Cerebral Palsy Support Groups

Managing cerebral palsy can be overwhelming. Luckily, you don’t have to go through it alone.

Cerebral palsy is the most common childhood motor disability in the world, meaning that there are thousands of people who understand exactly what you’re going through and can offer help.

Joining a support group will allow you to connect with other parents of kids with cerebral palsy, share experiences, and gain access to an abundance of helpful information.

Understanding Cerebral Palsy Management

Cerebral palsy is widely misunderstood. When given the chance, children with cerebral palsy are capable of doing much more than others may assume.

Through consistent management of cerebral palsy, children can learn to maximize their mobility, communicate effectively, and prove to everyone around them just how capable they are.

Hopefully, this article helped you determine what management interventions your child can benefit from. Good luck!

Flint Rehab is leading the way in neuro-rehabilitation with products that are backed by research and clinically validated to help you recover more effectively from stroke, TBI, and SCI. Trusted by over 300+ rehab facilities and 10,000+ home customers.

More Ways to Recover with Flint Rehab:

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You’re Really on a Roll: Discover a Program for CP That’s Actually Fun to Do!

At Flint Rehab, we understand that doing physical therapy at home can become tedious and repetitive. But when repetition is critical to recovery, it’s important to stick with a repetitive regimen. But that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

Flint Rehab is the leading manufacturer of motion-sensing, gamified rehabilitation devices. Our bestselling recovery tool, FitMi, transforms full-body rehab exercises into an interactive experience.

See what individuals with CP are saying about FitMi:

“The FitMi and MusicGlove have done wonders for my son with hemiparesis from cerebral palsy and stroke. It motivates him to do his exercises. It does not seem like therapy for him since it is fun. FitMi monitors his progress so it is a great reinforcement for him. Music is a motivator for him. He has been using it on his arm and we will try the leg exercises soon.”

-Manning

While FitMi is a recovery tool for the full-body, our other device, MusicGlove, helps target the hand to improve fine motor skills and dexterity.

See what others have said about MusicGlove:

“My granddaughter has right-side hemiplegia from Cerebral Palsy / stroke at birth. She states that this is a great product for anyone who has issues with the use of their hand(s), and that is has helped her tremendously. She also finds the music quite catchy (surprisingly!). Our occupational therapist has been impressed as well. I can say that it has arguably been the best tool of all our therapy resources.”

-Jenni

Together, FitMi and MusicGlove make a powerful home therapy regimen for individuals with cerebral palsy. Best of all, you can save money when you bundle them together.

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