Can cerebral palsy be treated?

Can cerebral palsy be treated?

The goal of treatments for CP are to improve movement, speech and quality of life. Therapy is the most common treatment for cerebral palsy.

It’s crucial to start therapy as early as possible. Skilled therapists can help children learn to walk, communicate and take care of themselves. They can also help you learn how to provide therapeutic opportunities for your child at home. Treatment plans are different for everyone and may include:

• Therapy: Physical, occupational and speech therapies improve how a child moves, plays and interacts with the world.
• Medications: Botulinum toxin (Botox®) injections temporarily weaken the muscles to improve range of motion and stiffness. Muscle-relaxing drugs such as baclofen can help with stiffness and spasms.
• Surgery: Your provider may recommend surgery to improve mobility. Surgeons can lengthen tendons and muscles or repair problems in the spine. Certain patients may benefit from a procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR). In SDR, surgeons decrease muscle spasticity in the legs by cutting through overactive nerves in the spine.