Physical therapy of Cerebral Palsy

The purpose of treatment for cerebral palsy:

To promote the most normal, manageable and

healthy life possible.

This is accomplished through treatments that allow

people with cerebral palsy to maximize their

independence in daily life

Goals of Physical Therapy:

1. Overcoming physical limitations

2. Expanding range of joint motion

3. Building and maintaining muscle tone

4. Increasing recreational capabilities

5. Identifying alternate ways to perform everyday tasks

6. Fostering independence

7. Decreasing the likelihood of contractures, bone deformity

8. Educating children and parents about adaptive equipment

9. Providing sensory stimulation

10. Increasing fitness

11. Increasing flexibility

12. Improving posture

13. Improving gait

14. Minimizing pain and discomfort

PHYSICAL THERAPY

EXERCISES ASSISTIVE DEVICES ORTHOSIS

1- Ground Exercises

2- Aqua therapy

1- For Exercises

2- For Daily live

activities

1- Upper limb orthoses

2- lower limb orthoses

3- spinal orthoses

Ground Exercises:Exercises for cerebral palsy are different accordance to each type and symptoms

present. It preferable to be in a motivating way and concentrating on functional

manner. It includes:

1- Stretching exercises 2- Range of motion exercises

3- Strengthening exercises 4- Balancing exercises

5- Postural exercises 6- Gait training

7- Coordination exercises 8- Tone normalization exercises

Stretching Exercises

Self stretch Manual stretch

Range of motion exercises

Strengthening exercises

Balancing exercises

Postural exercises

Gait training

Coordination exercises

Tone normalization exercises(Facilitatory and inhibitory techniques)

• The quick stretch : To increase Tone • Prolonged and firm stretch : To decrease tone• Rapid vibration : To increase Tone • Slow Vibration : To decrease tone• Brief icing : To increase Tone • Prolonged icing : To decrease Tone• Rapid approximation or compression: To

increase tone• slow approximation or compression: To

decrease tone

Aqua therapy :- Is the use of water and water physical proprieties to improve physical function.

- Aqua therapy is one of the best environments for a child with Cerebral Palsy to

improve physical functioning, especially if the child is not ambulatory.  

Physical principles of Water:

Buoyancy, The Archimedes Principle ( Assistive : upward, resistive : Downward)

hydrostatic pressure ( The more depth, the more support)

Surface tension (Resistance when strike the surface)

Viscosity.( The more viscosity, the more resistance )

Advantage of Aqua therapy

1. Avoid Injury

2. Improve self-esteem

3. Empower

4. Increase confidence

5. Enhance quality of life

6. Encourage relaxation

7. Provide comfort

8. Increase socialization

Examples:

ASSISTIVE DEVICES

For Exercises:1. Balls2. Wedges3. Rolls4. Springs5. Stands6. Wall bar7. Spider8. Weights9. Stepper10. Parallel bar

For Daily live activities:

1. Wheelchairs (Manual and electrical )

2. For Walking (walker, crutches, Canes)

3. Bath chairs

4. Adaptive equipment for ADL activities (writing, eating,

hygiene…etc.)

Electrical WheelchairManual Wheelchair

For Walking (walker, crutches, Canes)

Bath chairs

CP children who have difficulty sitting independently often need extra support in

the bathtub. A bath or shower chair is a waterproof chair that is designed to go

inside the bathtub or (more likely) the shower.

Advantages of Bath chair:

1- Safety

2- Comfort

3- Independence

4-Water-proof Convenience

5- Easy to use

6- self- confidence

- There are a variety of Bath chairs from simple to complete power bath/ transfer chairs

Simple bath chairs:

Bath/ transfer chair

Electrical bath/ transfer chair

Adaptive equipment for ADL activities (writing, eating, hygiene…etc.)

ORTHOSIS:GOALS:

1. To correct and/or prevent deformity

2. To provide a base of support

3. To facilitate training in skills

4. To improve the efficiency of gait

1- Upper limb orthoses

lower limb orthoses

Spinal orthoses