Treatment options can include therapy exercises that focus on fine motor control, bilateral coordination, upper body strength and stability, visual motor skills and perception, and self care. Additionally, there are numerous therapeutic techniques that your child’s occupational therapist may utilize in your child’s treatments.
Full Answer
How do you treat spastic cerebral palsy at home?
Occupational Therapy for Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Occupational therapy for children with spastic cerebral palsy should focus on daily life activities, such as feeding, dressing, toileting, grooming, and transfers. Occupational therapy also focuses on the upper body.
How can occupational therapy help a child with cerebral palsy?
Occupational therapy for spastic cerebral palsy. Occupational therapy is a type of therapy that utilizes common tasks in daily life (5). Occupational therapy for children with spastic cerebral palsy should focus on daily life activities, such as feeding, dressing, toileting, grooming, and transfers.
What are the treatment options for cerebral palsy?
The severity of symptoms, the location of movement problems and any secondary conditions are the biggest factors in outlining treatment. However, there are five main routes of treatment for CP: physical, occupational and speech therapy, medication and surgery.
What are the co-occurring conditions of spastic cerebral palsy (CP)?
Some children with spastic CP also develop co-occurring conditions as a result of their brain injury. Examples of these coexisting conditions include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD) and epilepsy.
How would an occupational therapist help with cerebral palsy?
Occupational therapy can help with managing everyday activities and functions, like eating, getting dressed and using the bathroom. It does so by improving physical and cognitive ability and fine motor skills.
How is spasticity treated in cerebral palsy?
Treatments for Cerebral Palsy Spasticity Oral medication, Botox injections, baclofen infusion, orthopedic surgery, selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery, physical therapy, and braces are the most common treatments of cerebral palsy spasticity and related problems.
What therapies are used for cerebral palsy?
A variety of therapies play an important role in treating cerebral palsy:Physical therapy. Muscle training and exercises can help your child's strength, flexibility, balance, motor development and mobility. ... Occupational therapy. ... Speech and language therapy. ... Recreational therapy.
How do you stop cerebral palsy muscle spasms?
Treatment Options for Spastic Cerebral PalsyPhysical therapy, as well as language, occupational, and behavioral therapies.Medications to control symptoms, such as muscle spasms or seizures.Baclofen pump (to help control muscle spasticity)Spine or spinal cord surgery (to repair scoliosis or reduce spasticity)More items...•
How do you treat spasticity?
Spasticity can be reduced by:Performing stretching exercises daily. Prolonged stretching can make muscles longer, helping to decrease spasticity and prevent contracture.Splinting, casting, and bracing. These methods are used to maintain range of motion and flexibility.
How do you break spasticity?
Muscle relaxers are often recommended for treating spasticity to help relax a large number of muscles at one time, according to the NINDS. These medications can help break the pain-spasm cycle by easing symptoms like stiffness, tightness, and spasms in the muscles.
How does physical therapy help cerebral palsy?
It can help improve motor skills and can prevent movement problems from getting worse over time. Physical therapy implements strength and flexibility exercises, heat treatment, massages and special equipment to give children with cerebral palsy more independence.
How can physiotherapy help cerebral palsy?
Cerebral palsy affects people for life. Physiotherapy treatment will help children and adults achieve their maximum potential by improving their movement, keeping their muscles strong and at a good length and improving their quality of life.
What is the latest treatment for cerebral palsy?
Stem cell therapy is an emerging treatment for a variety of conditions, including cerebral palsy. Stem cells are cells in the body that have the ability to grow and change into other types of cells. The easiest stem cells to access and use for treatment are found in the umbilical cord blood of newborns.
What is spasticity occupational therapy?
0:0015:10Occupational Therapy Exercises for Spasticity - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThat can cause these incorrect signals the symptoms that occur due to spasticity are muscleMoreThat can cause these incorrect signals the symptoms that occur due to spasticity are muscle tightness of the arm or the leg or both or both arms and leg spasms.
How do you treat spasticity in children?
Treatments. Spasticity management includes a variety of treatment options including stretching, splinting and bracing, chemoneurolysis via botulinum toxin A (brand name Botox®) and/or phenol injections, antispasticity medications, intrathecal baclofen (ITB) therapy, and selective dorsal rhizotomy (a type of surgery).
What is the best muscle relaxer for cerebral palsy?
The most common types of muscle relaxers prescribed to children with cerebral palsy include:Baclofen.Dantrolene.Tizanidine.Flexeril.Diazepam.
How Does Occupational Therapy Help?
Occupational therapy helps people develop or recover the skills needed to lead independent, satisfying lives. The “occupation” in occupational ther...
What to Expect in Occupational Therapy
As with physical therapy and speech therapy, occupational therapy is different for every child with cerebral palsy. Each child’s occupational thera...
Occupational Therapy by Age
Occupational therapy helps people of all ages. For children with cerebral palsy, treatment will be based on the child’s physical, intellectual, soc...
Finding An Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists are licensed healthcare professionals. Finding an occupational therapist who has experience working with cerebral palsy pat...
What is occupational therapy for cerebral palsy?
Occupational Therapy for Cerebral Palsy. Occupational therapy can help with managing everyday activities and functions, like eating, getting dressed and using the bathroom. It does so by improving physical and cognitive ability and fine motor skills. Medically Reviewed by: Kristin Proctor, RN Registered Nurse (RN) DID YOU KNOW...
What is the best treatment for cerebral palsy?
For children with cerebral palsy, occupational therapy can help with muscle and joint coordination issues — issues that can make everyday tasks difficult. Some of these tasks include eating, brushing teeth and bathing. Occupational therapy can help to improve physical, cognitive and social abilities, as well as fine motor skills and posture.
How often should a child with cerebral palsy be reevaluated?
Most children with cerebral palsy need to be reevaluated every six to nine months.
How to help a child with cerebral palsy?
Giving them a sense of accomplishment. Improving their quality of life. Parents and caregivers spend a lot of time helping children with cerebral palsy perform basic day-to-day activities.
What is an occupational therapist?
Occupational therapists are licensed healthcare professionals. Finding an occupational therapist who has experience working with cerebral palsy patients is very important to ensure your child gets the best treatment possible.
How does cerebral palsy affect children?
Each type of cerebral palsy presents different symptoms that may hinder a child’s ability to live independently and complete daily activities.
How can occupational therapy help CP?
By optimizing upper body function and improving the coordination of small muscles, occupational therapy can help children with CP master the basic activities of daily living. Occupational therapy can help children by: Increasing their chance for independence. Improving their ability to play and learn. Boosting their self-esteem and confidence.
How can a child with cerebral palsy benefit from occupational therapy?
Children with severe cases of Cerebral Palsy can also benefit from occupational therapy; mostly through the use of specialized adaptive equipment and assistive technologies.
What is the therapy for cerebral palsy?
Therapy for Cerebral Palsy. A person’s ability to transcend his or her physical limits is in no small part due to the kinds of therapies that are used to fine-tune his or her abilities. Therapy fosters functionality, mobility, fitness, and independence.
What should an occupational therapist do for parents?
The occupational therapist should use their skills to teach parents as much about their child’s abilities as possible; parental involvement and support at all levels of Cerebral Palsy treatment is an essential component to a child’s ability to overcome their limitations.
Why do people with cerebral palsy need therapy?
Individuals with Cerebral Palsy benefit from therapy because it teaches a child how to develop and maintain a daily routine – which contributes to independence and quality of life. As children grow, they want to handle everyday tasks to the best of their abilities without assistance or interference.
What is the role of occupational therapist in a child's development?
Everyday tasks – the ones an occupational therapist will focus on – can test a child’s physical and emotional resources. These tasks include:
How does occupational therapy help children?
Additionally, occupational therapy enables a child to respond to life’s demands, setting the stage for him or her to develop relationships, care for themselves, provide for their own physical needs, pursue education, maintain employment, and achieve economic parity with their peers. What a child learns in occupational therapy is put ...
How to contact an occupational therapist?
Contact Us Today. Call 800-692-4453. Occupational therapists focus on assessing and developing an individual’s ability to function day-to-day to their highest level in normal daily activities at home, in school, out in public, and at work. The goal is to foster independence, productivity, and self-care. Occupational therapists will help ...
What is occupational therapy for cerebral palsy?
Occupational therapy is a type of therapy that utilizes common tasks in daily life (5). Occupational therapy for children with spastic cerebral palsy should focus on daily life activities, such as feeding, dressing, toileting, grooming, and transfers. Occupational therapy focuses on gaining life skills, independence, happiness, and improved quality of life. The goal should be for the child to function as independently as possible with or without the use of adaptive equipment.
Why is social interaction important for spastic cerebral palsy?
Social interaction and a sense of community are very important for kids with spastic cerebral palsy, and when these children can work with experts and do fun activities with other children who have similar conditions, the benefits are immeasurable.
What is the most common type of cerebral palsy?
Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type of cerebral palsy (CP), affecting approximately 80% of children who have CP (1). Children with spastic cerebral palsy have very stiff and tight muscle groups. Spastic muscles are always contracting, and there is weakness of the muscles opposing the spastic ones.
What are the best medications for spastic CP?
Common medications for treating spastic CP include (6): Benzodiazepines. Baclofen. Dantrolene sodium.
What causes a spastic muscle to contract?
This causes abnormal positions of the joints on which the muscles act. The joints can become deformed, which may cause them to become fixed in place (a fixed contracture) over time.
What is the best treatment for spasticity?
Physical therapy helps with balance, movement, and walking independently or using mobility aids (3). Some individuals with spasticity can experience painful contracture, joint deformities, and other complications. Physical therapy can prevent and treat these issues.
Can a child walk with spastic diplegia?
Most children with spastic diplegia have at least some capacity to walk, but the muscles are very tight and the children have a scissor gait. A scissor gait is when the child appears to be crouching because tightness in the hips, legs, and pelvis keep these areas flexed to various degrees.
What is the role of occupational therapists in children with cerebral palsy?
In addition, an occupational therapist may use visual input tools and cues, as well as verbal directions to assist children in carrying out necessary daily activities. Cognitive Impairment. Occupational therapy is also beneficial to children with cerebral palsy who have cognitive impairment.
What is cerebral palsy assessment?
Assessments usually include an occupational therapist testing the child’s: Motor skills. Developmental condition.
How does motor impairment affect cerebral palsy?
For example, many children will have difficulties with daily hygiene, moving around, posture, and completing school tasks due to limitations in movement.
What are some tasks that occupational therapy can assist with?
As mentioned earlier, occupational therapy assists with daily tasks such as eating, dressing, hygiene, and helping with motor movement skills . Other tasks occupational therapy can assist with include: Grasping objects. Using a computer and other electronics. Opening doors.
What is occupational therapy?
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), occupational therapy is a form of therapy that helps people of all ages to learn how to improve their abilities to do the everyday activities they want to or have to do. [1] About Occupational Therapy. (n.d.).
Why is occupational therapy important for children?
Yet, while physical therapy concentrates on improving the child’s muscle tone and balance, occupational therapy assists in helping children accomplish daily living activities.
Can cerebral palsy affect visual perception?
Visual Impairment. Many children with cerebral palsy experience visual impairmen t. Some children may have severe impairment whereas others may have a mild impairment, but regardless of severity, therapy can assist in helping them with their daily tasks.
What is a spastic cerebral palsy?
Spastic cerebral palsy is a developmental disorder caused by damage to the brain before birth, during delivery, or within the first few years of life. This condition prevents the normal development of motor function. Spastic CP is characterized by jerky movements, muscle tightness and joint stiffness. This type of cerebral palsy often makes simple ...
What percentage of CP is spastic cerebral palsy?
Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type, making up over 70 percent of all CP diagnoses. Medically Reviewed by: Kristin Proctor, RN Registered Nurse (RN) DID YOU KNOW... About 70% of cases of cerebral palsy results from a birth injury.
What is cerebral palsy caused by?
Each type of cerebral palsy is caused by damage to a specific part of the brain. Spastic cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the motor cortex and the pyramidal tracts of the brain, which connect the motor cortex to the spinal cord. Understanding the function of the motor cortex and pyramidal tracts helps to explain how damage to these systems ...
What is spastic CP?
Spastic CP is characterized by jerky movements, muscle tightness and joint stiffness. This type of cerebral palsy often makes simple tasks more challenging, such as walking or picking up small objects. Some children with spastic CP also develop co-occurring conditions as a result of their brain injury. Examples of these coexisting conditions ...
How many types of cerebral palsy are there?
There are 4 main types of cerebral palsy, and each CP diagnosis can be further broken down to more accurately describe one's brain damage and related symptoms. The various types of spastic cerebral palsy are classified based on the location of movement issues.
What is the role of the motor cortex in cerebral palsy?
An important aspect of the motor cortex in relation to cerebral palsy is its regulation of voluntary movement. Damage to this region of the brain makes voluntary movement harder to control and less fluid, or "spastic".
How long does it take for a child to get spastic CP?
During toddlerhood, many children tend to exhibit some of the same jerky reflexes associated with spastic CP. It can take up to 5 years of age before a full cerebral palsy diagnosis is reached. Get the help you need. Find out how we can help you cover the cost of your child’s treatment. Free Case Review.
Treatment
- There are numerous treatments and therapies for spastic cerebral palsy, ranging from therapeutic and supportive treatments to surgical and medical interventions to decrease functional impairments and muscle-stress symptoms. These therapies are usually combined for maximal effect as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Treatment for spastic cereb...
Overview
- Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type of cerebral palsy (CP), affecting approximately 77% of children who have CP. Children with spastic cerebral palsy have very stiff and tight muscle groups. Spastic muscles are always contracting, and there is weakness of the muscles opposing the spastic ones. This causes abnormal positions of the joints on which the muscles act. The joi…
Types
- The most common type of spastic cerebral palsy is spastic diplegia, which is characterized by involvement of the lower extremities. Most children with spastic diplegia have at least some capacity to walk, but the muscles are very tight and the children have a scissor gait. A scissor gait is when the child appears to be crouching because tightness in the hips, legs, and pelvis keep th…
Symptoms
- Clonus and muscle spasms are not uncommon. Clonus is a series of involuntary rhythmic muscular contractions and relaxations. These are caused by the pain and/or stress of muscle tightness, indicating especially hard-working and/or exhausted muscles. The spasticity itself can and usually does also lead to very early onset of muscle-stress symptoms such as arthritis and t…
Prevention
- Daily range-of-motion (ROM) exercises are important to (1) prevent or delay contractures caused by spasticity and (2) to maintain the mobility of joints and soft tissues. Stretching exercises increase range of motion. Progressive resistance exercises increase strength. Age-appropriate play and adaptive toys and games based on desired exercises make therapy fun and get the chil…
Benefits
- Children and their parents often enjoy hippotherapy (therapeutic horseback-riding; this is a type of complementary/alternative therapy). Hippotherapy can help improve the childs muscle tone, ROM, strength, coordination, and balance. It offers many social, cognitive, physical, and emotional benefits. The use of Kinesio taping (elastic therapeutic tape) can help reeducate muscles for str…
Management
- Some children with spastic cerebral palsy have involvement of the face and upper airway, causing drooling and difficulty swallowing and speaking. Speech therapy can be used to help improve swallowing and communication. Some children benefit from assistive communication devices if they have some motor control and adequate cognitive skills.
Recreation
- Recreational activities that can help fitness include hippotherapy, adaptive sports, cycling, water therapy, and special camps created for special needs children.
Pathophysiology
- Spasticity is caused by a problem with communication between the brain and the spinal cord, which may be due to an earlier brain injury. The message loop between the brain, the spinal cord, the nerves, and the muscles doesnt function correctly, causing muscle tightness. During selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), physicians carefully identify and test the sensory nerves in the lower spi…
Use
- In this procedure, physicians place a pump about the size of a hockey puck in the childs abdomen. The pump continuously delivers baclofen into the fluid surrounding the childs spine. Baclofen is a muscle relaxant that reduces spasticity throughout the childs body. Since the medicine goes directly into the nervous system, the dose of baclofen the child gets through the pump can be m…
Medical uses
- Tendon release surgery may allow improved range of motion. The surgery is usually performed on the muscles of the calf or inner thigh. Tendon release is a procedure to cut through or disconnect a tendon (tenotomy). The surgery normally involves cutting the tendon and allowing it to retract towards the junction of the muscle and tendon. The purpose of tendon release is to identify and …
Purpose
- Tendon release is commonly done to relieve tightened or shortened muscles (contractures), allow relaxation of joints, and decrease irritation caused by friction. Sometimes the tendon is re-routed to maintain muscle function.
Clinical significance
- Strabismus is when the eyes are not properly aligned with each other and dont work together. A sign of the condition is that one eye moves normally, while the other eye points in, out, up, or down. This condition is not uncommon with spastic cerebral palsy. Ophthalmologists (eye specialists) can help strabismus by operating on the muscles that control the movement of the …
Prognosis
- Medical care of children with spastic cerebral palsy is often seriously hindered by a childs inability to communicate needs and sensations. Relatively common childhood illnesses such as ear infections, urinary tract infections, and appendicitis, which are easily treatable in most children, may prove to be life-threatening in children with cerebral palsy due to delayed recogniti…
Mission
- If your child was diagnosed with a birth injury, such as cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), the award winning attorneys at ABC Law Centers can help. We have helped children throughout the country obtain compensation for lifelong treatment, therapy, and a secure future, and we give personal attention to each child and family we represe…