Exercise for Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Cerebral Palsy refers to a group of childhood-onset neurological disorders that occur from damage to the brain, either during foetal development, or during/ shortly after birth. Cerebral Palsy presents as a motor disorder, with problems in producing, controlling or preventing movement, however symptoms will vary depending on the type of Cerebral Palsy and the site of brain damage.
Cerebral Palsy often results in walking and movement difficulty, tight and stiff muscles (spasticity), tremor, seizures, impaired hearing, vision and speech, and intellectual disability. While there is no cure for Cerebral Palsy, there are a range of treatments available to assist in managing the associated disabilities, increasing independence and quality of life. While antiepileptic and antispastic medications, and orthopaedic surgery, are cornerstones of Cerebral Palsy treatment, exercise is also an effective treatment modality. Research has shown that individuals with Cerebral Palsy have reduced aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance compared to individuals without Cerebral Palsy. These findings are suggested to occur due to a number of factors including reduced muscle volume, mechanical inefficiency (due to spasticity, involuntary movements, and impaired coordination) and increased energy demand of locomotion. Exercise interventions for individuals with Cerebral Palsy commonly encompass strength, power, flexibility, and cardiovascular training, and are able to produce significant results in all these areas. Specifically, exercise interventions have been found to:
Increase peak aerobic capacity and cardiovascular fitness
Improve mobility and ambulation skills, specifically increase walking capacity, walking velocity and dynamic balance
Improve muscular strength, with no detriment to spasticity during or after training (sometimes spasticity can even be improved!)
Increase flexibility and joint range of motion
Reduce blood lipid levels
Body weight maintenance
Improve health related quality of life Importantly, longer-duration interventions appear to be associated with increased improvements.
Exercise Physiologists play an important role in developing exercise interventions for individuals with Cerebral Palsy, as there are numerous factors to consider in the development of a safe and effective exercise program.
Factors such as medication use and timing, location of spastic muscles, fatigue levels and the need to assistive equipment such as wraps and straps, will be considered by an exercise physiologist in the development of a safe exercise intervention.
Get in touch with the team at PACE today to see if we can support you.!