October 6th is World Cerebal Palsy (CP) Day, which aims to raise awareness as well as ensure that those living with CP have the same opportunities and access as able bodied people. At West Coast Neuro, our services aim to assist in the therapy for CP, so we consider this to be a very important day on the calendar.
Cerebal Palsy is the term used to describe a group of conditions that all involve atypical development or damage to a developing brain, therefore is something that will impact someone throughout their lifespan. This disorder impacts coordination, movement, balance and postural control. It can also be associated with several other disabilities, these include but are not limited to; intellectual disability, speech & language disorders, and seizure disorders. Due to the varying presentations and specialised care required to assist a person living with CP, we are aiming to educate the importance of high quality treatment throughout a person’s life.
The services offered at West Coast Neuro for an individual living with CP are:
Exercise Physiology:
- focuses on designing and implementing exercise programs tailored to the individual’s needs
- Help to address the impact of spasticity and hypo/hypertonia through exercise
- Addressing coordination challenges, seeking to challenge and train this in a controlled environment
- Aiming to reduce the risk of injuries as a result of loss of balance
- Prescribe appropriate resistance and aerobic exercises to improve the individuals overall functional capacity.
Physiotherapy:
- Motor learning strategies at an early age to develop movement control.
- Assist plan and implement use of orthotics and gait aids, as well as training how to use assistive devices.
- Training functional and mobility skills in all environments.
- Manual therapy to assist with mobility and range of motion.
- Applying physiotherapy specific techniques to help with movement, including constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT), Bimanual training, and serial casting.
Together, exercise physiologists and physiotherapists work as a team to achieve the best possible care for those with CP, helping them be as independent as possible.
If you feel that you, or someone you know, would benefit from any services through West Coast Neuro to help with the management of Cerebral Palsy, you can contact us via phone call or through our website.
There are common misconceptions about exercise guidelines for those with Cerebral Palsy
Download our FREE resource to learn more about Myths regarding exercising with Cerebral Palsy.
