Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a term used to describe a group of disorders affecting body movement and muscle coordination. The medical definition of CP is "a non-progressive but not unchanging disorder of movement and/or posture, due to an insult or anomaly of the developing brain."

Visualization of baby`s brain development process Skin (pink), brain surface (white) and myelination process (green and red) brain surface (white) and myelination process (green and red).

Development of the brain starts in early pregnancy and continues until about age three. Damage to the brain during this time may result in CP. This damage interferes with messages from the brain to the body, and from the body to the brain.

The effects of CP vary widely from individual to individual. At its mildest, CP may result in a slight awkwardness of movement or hand control. At its most severe, CP may result in virtually no muscle control, profoundly affecting movement and speech.  

It is very important, that physical therapy begins in the first few years of life, soon after the diagnosis is made. Physical therapy programs work toward two important goals: preventing the weakening or deterioration of muscles that can follow lack of use (called disuse atrophy) and avoiding contracture, in which muscles become fixed in a rigid, abnormal position.

Contracture is one of the most common and serious complications of cerebral palsy. Normally, a child whose bones are growing stretches the body's muscles and tendons through running and walking and other daily activities. This ensures that muscles will grow at the same rate. But in children with cerebral palsy, spasticity prevents this stretching and, as a result, muscles do not grow fast enough to keep up with lengthening bones. The resulting contracture can disrupt balance and trigger loss of previous abilities. Physical therapy works to prevent this complication by stretching spastic muscles. For example, if a child has spastic hamstrings (tendons located behind the knee), the therapist and parents should encourage the child to sit with the legs extended to stretch them.

The goal of neuro therapy is to improve the child's motor development. All these goals of physical and neuro therapy are united successfully in the instrument GIGER MD^® medical device. Studies have documented its very high value.

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