Treatment of Cerebral Palsy | CerebralPalsy.Org

What is the Treatment for Cerebral Palsy?

Although the brain injury that causes cerebral palsy cannot be healed, the resulting physical impairment can be managed with a wide range of treatments and therapies. Each childs impairment is unique and therefore no universal treatment for cerebral palsy exists. Instead, individuals with cerebral palsy are independently assessed and treated for their unique needs.

While therapy and adaptive equipment are the primary treatment for cerebral palsy, a child may also require drug therapy and surgical interventions. Some families, with caution and physician guidance, turn to complementary and alternative medicine for additional assistance.

Although each medical specialist may have specific care goals related to their specialty, the overriding treatment goal for those with cerebral palsy is to:

Common conventional methods of treatment, complementary and alternative methods of treatment, and a comprehensive treatment plan process are detailed below:

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Introduction to the Treatment of Cerebral Palsy

The childs physical impairment is considered his or her primary condition. The primary physical impairment may involve challenges with muscle tone, reflexes, posture, balance, fine motor functioning, gross motor functioning and oral motor functioning. These conditions can, in turn, create secondary conditions that also require treatment. Management of the cerebral palsy is further complicated by co-mitigating factors not caused by the same brain injury that caused cerebral palsy, but that still exists in the child as a separate condition requiring simultaneous treatment.

For example, the childs cerebral palsy may cause a problem with facial muscle control and coordination. This would be considered a primary condition. Due to the lack in facial muscle control, the child may find it difficult to chew, swallow, or communicate, which are secondary conditions. In addition, a child may have an unrelated condition, such as asthma, which would be considered a co-mitigating factor.

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Treatment of Cerebral Palsy | CerebralPalsy.Org