Cerebral palsy physiotherapy

This condition most often develops during a complicated pregnancy, a difficult delivery, or brain trauma in infancy. The severity of a patient's motor disability determines the type of cerebral palsy physiotherapy that will be most beneficial to a patient.

Physiotherapy

Cerebral palsy physiotherapy generally consists of a few types of physical therapy. Physical therapy helps a cerebral palsy physiotherapy patient to improve their gross motor skills. Gross motor skills are those that utilize the large muscles in the body, such as those in the arms and legs. This cerebral palsy physiotherapy can help improve a patient's balance and movement.

Learning to walk, stand without aid, use a wheelchair or other adaptive equipment, and other movement skills can be greatly improved with cerebral palsy physiotherapy. Physical therapists help prevent further development of musculoskeletal problems in cerebral palsy physiotherapy patients.

They do this by preventing muscle weakening, deterioration, and contracture through proper cerebral palsy physiotherapy techniques.

Occupational Therapy

Another component of cerebral palsy physiotherapy is occupational therapy. Occupational therapy facilitates the development of fine motor skills. Fine motor skills involve the use of smaller muscles, such as those in the face, fingers, toes, hands, and feet. This type of cerebral palsy physiotherapy also teaches daily living skills like eating, dressing, and writing.

Adaptive Equipment

Both physical and occupational therapists can help choose the right type of adaptive equipment that can enhance a patient's motor abilities. Wheelchairs, walkers, special eating utensils and other adaptive equipment can allow a cerebral palsy physiotherapy patient to reap greater benefits from therapy and achieve a greater degree of physical ability.

Speech and language therapy and sensory integration therapy may also be incorporated into a cerebral palsy physiotherapy program. Speech and language therapy enables a cerebral palsy patient to more effectively communicate with others by developing the facial and jaw muscles, improving speech or sign language communication, and providing communication tools (such as computers and other visual tools). Sensory Integration Therapy is a cerebral palsy physiotherapy technique that teaches sequence of movement and helps patients absorb and process sensory information.