Physiotherapy treatment for Cerebral Palsy
What to expect in the initial appointment?
The first appointment will last approximately 60–70 minutes and will involve a detailed assessment of the client’s needs and how cerebral palsy affects their movement and everyday life.
The appointment will include:
- Physical assessment: Assessing the client’s movement, muscle strength, muscle tone, joint flexibility, posture, and balance, where appropriate.
- Movement and mobility: Looking at how the client moves and manages everyday activities, such as sitting, standing, walking, and changing position.
- Individual needs: Identifying any difficulties associated with cerebral palsy, such as muscle stiffness, weakness, reduced mobility, or difficulties maintaining posture.
- Personal goals: Discussing what the client would like to achieve through physiotherapy, taking into account their abilities, priorities, and daily activities.
- Treatment planning: Explaining the proposed physiotherapy treatment plan and discussing how treatment may help maintain or improve movement, comfort, and physical function.
- Advice and support: Providing an opportunity for the client and, where appropriate, their family members or carers to ask questions and discuss any concerns.
The assessment will help us understand how cerebral palsy affects the client individually and identify the most suitable physiotherapy approach. The findings will be used to develop a treatment plan based on the client’s needs and goals, with the aim of supporting movement, maintaining physical abilities, improving comfort, and promoting independence wherever possible.
Follow up appointments:
Subsequent sessions will usually last 50–60 minutes and will focus on neurological physiotherapy tailored to the client’s individual needs, abilities, and goals. Treatment will take into account how cerebral palsy affects the client’s movement, muscle tone, posture, and everyday activities. Sessions will be adapted according to the client’s progress and comfort.
Treatment for cerebral palsy may include:
- Massage and hands-on treatment: To help manage muscle tightness, improve comfort, and support easier movement.
- Stretching and joint mobilisation: To maintain flexibility, support joint movement, and help reduce stiffness.
- Movement exercises: To support muscle strength, balance, posture, and coordination.
- Functional activities: Practising everyday movements, such as sitting, standing, walking, and transferring between surfaces, where appropriate.
- Posture and balance activities: To help improve body control, stability, and positioning during daily activities.
- Advice and guidance: Providing parents, carers, or caregivers with practical advice on supporting movement, positioning, and exercises between physiotherapy sessions.
Treatment will focus on managing the physical effects of cerebral palsy, maintaining or improving movement, reducing the impact of muscle stiffness, and supporting the client’s comfort and independence wherever possible. Physiotherapy activities will be adapted to suit the client’s abilities, and progress will be reviewed regularly to ensure treatment continues to meet their needs.
Positioning and Wheelchair Support
Where needed, the client’s positioning in bed or in a wheelchair can be assessed to help improve comfort, posture, body alignment, and support. This is particularly important for people with cerebral palsy who may experience difficulties maintaining a comfortable position or controlling their posture.
The assessment may include:
- Checking sitting and lying positions.
- Assessing posture, body alignment, and stability.
- Identifying areas where additional support may be needed.
- Providing advice on suitable positioning to improve comfort and support.
- Identifying any concerns with wheelchair seating or positioning.
If further seating or wheelchair support is required, assistance with a referral to Wheelchair Services can also be provided.
Overall Aim
The aim of physiotherapy for cerebral palsy is to provide individualised treatment that supports the client’s physical abilities, manages muscle tightness, maintains joint movement, and improves comfort. Treatment will be tailored to their needs and personal goals, helping them participate in everyday activities and maintain the best possible level of independence and quality of life.