Cerebral Palsy
What is cerebral palsy (CP)?
CP interferes with the normal development of movement and posture and is a potential result of brain injury that occurred before, during, or up to two years after birth. There are 8 types of CP, each named based on what areas of the body or what movements are affected. Some symptoms you might see in someone with CP are: tight muscles or joints, muscle weakness, slow or limited movement, tremors, lack of coordination, or floppy muscles. You might also see: vision, hearing, or speaking problems, seizures, joint pain, difficulty eating or controlling mouth, learning difficulties, slowed growth, and difficulties with constipation or holding urine.
What do physical therapists do to help?
Note: I’m going to use the term “you” to refer to “you” as a potential patient AND “you” as a child who is a potential patient and your parent/guardian/caregiver, since both adults and children use PT for CP.
PTs are one part of an extensive TEAM that helps patients with cerebral palsy live their fullest life. The PT’s role is to work with you to establish exercise habits that will help you perform as many self-care activities and activities of fun as possible. For CP, your therapist will probably be focused on how to manage muscle and joint pain, muscle strengthening, and joint flexibility so you can run, jump, play, walk, reach, and navigate obstacles (like tubs, furniture, and outdoor terrain) as much and as comfortably as possible. PTs can also make recommendations for what assistive devices will be most helpful, like braces, wheelchairs, and sleeping setups.
For family members and caregivers, PTs offer guidance on positioning, feeding, movements, and play activities that will most benefit you. If this sounds like an intense amount of energy and time to put into caring for someone, that’s because it is. In some ways, it’s less frustrating to just do tasks for someone, like brushing their teeth, cooking their food, or getting them dressed. It takes an immense amount of patience to be by someone’s side nearly every moment of every day and to guide them and encourage them to be as independent as possible. Your loved one or patient may fight their own independence, potentially due to situational depression or other motivational obstacles, but they will likely emerge with more confidence and a greater sense of self-worth if they’re able to do more on their own.
What kind of PT should I look for?
If you are seeking physical therapy for your child with CP, I recommend trying to find a pediatric PT with CP experience. A PT certified in pediatric or neurologic specialties is also a plus.
If you are seeking PT for yourself for CP, try finding a PT with neurologic certification.
You can use the following link to search for a PT in the United States with the credentials you want, though I know some specialties may not be available in rural or disenfranchised areas:
https://aptaapps.apta.org/APTAPTDirectory/FindAPTDirectory.aspx
If you’d like to learn more, whether it’s about cerebral palsy itself, physical therapy for CP, or what it’s like to live with CP, I recommend starting here:
https://www.choosept.com/symptomsconditionsdetail/physical-therapy-guide-to-cerebral-palsy-2
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/stories.html
