Therapy
There are conservative and surgical therapies for infantile cerebral palsy. However, there is no cure for this disease, symptoms can only be alleviated. Conservative therapies include the following options: Physiotherapy: Daily exercises can loosen cramped muscles and thus improve muscle movement.
Occupational therapy: Thereby everyday activities are practiced. Medication: Sedatives (psychotropic drugs) and antispasmodics are used in ICP. Eating and speech therapy Orthopedic treatment: Special splints and walking aids are available for children with conspicuous foot or leg anomalies.
Before an operative measure is considered, all conservative measures should be tried out first, because every operation has its risks. Surgical measures include Surgery on bones: Bones that are already bent are operated on by breaking them and bringing them into a normal position: Here, tendons, such as the Achilles tendon, are lengthened to reduce the tension in the muscle. It is also possible to relocate muscles to reduce the tension.
Surgery on nerves or muscles that are under constant tension can cause great pain.If no conservative treatment is successful, the nerves to the muscle can be severed. After that the muscle becomes flaccid, the pain improves, but the muscle is no longer able to move. Surgery on joints: If the joints are very unstable, they can be stiffened.
Installation of a medication pump: A pump with medication is installed near the spinal cord. The drugs have an inhibiting effect on the spinal cord, thus reducing the tension in the muscle, since the signals from the brain can no longer reach the muscle through the spinal cord. Infantile cerebral palsy is one of the diseases for which there is currently no cure.
However, depending on the severity of the disease, a therapy that improves the symptoms can restore a large part of the quality of life.
- Physiotherapy: Daily exercises can loosen cramped muscles and thus improve muscle movement.
- Occupational therapy: In the course of this, everyday activities are practiced.
- Medication: Sedatives (psychotropic drugs) and antispasmodics are used in ICP.
- Eating and speech therapy
- Orthopedic treatment: Special splints and walking aids are available for children with conspicuous foot or leg anomalies.
- Operation on bones: Bones that are already bent are operated on here by breaking them and bringing them into a normal position
- Operation on tendons: In this operation, tendons, such as the Achilles tendon, are lengthened to reduce the tension in the muscle. Muscles can also be relocated to reduce the tension
- Surgery on nerves or muscles that are under constant tension can cause great pain.
If no conservative treatment is successful, the nerves can be severed to the muscle. The muscle will then become flaccid, the pain will improve, but the muscle will no longer be able to move.
- Surgery on joints: If the joints are very unstable, they can be stiffened.
- Installation of a medication pump: A pump with medication is installed near the spinal cord. The drugs have an inhibitory effect on the spinal cord, thus reducing the tension in the muscle, since the signals from the brain can no longer reach the muscle through the spinal cord.
The course of infantile cerebral palsy depends largely on its form and severity as well as on the time of diagnosis and therapy.
The earlier the disease is treated, the sooner functions of damaged nerve cells can be taken over by other healthy brain cells. More than 90 percent of affected children reach adulthood with the disease. Most affected children can attend a normal school.
The development of the musculoskeletal system is often restricted and requires the use of crutches or similar. The faster new movements can be learned, the better the prognosis seems to be.
