Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive but not unchanging motor conditions that cause physical disability. CP affects approximately one in every 500 children, so every 6 hours a child with CP may be born.

CP is caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain and can occur during pregnancy, during childbirth or after birth up to about age three. Disturbances in movement and posture cause activity limitation and are often (but not necessarily) accompanied by disturbances of sensation, depth perception and other sight-based perceptual problems, hearing, communication ability, and sometimes even cognition. Some forms of CP may be accompanied by epilepsy.

CP is often accompanied by secondary musculoskeletal problems that arise over time. Of the many types and subtypes of CP, none of them has a known cure. The various therapy disciplines aim to minimise the negative effects of the posture and movement problems on function. Medical intervention aims for the treatment and prevention of complications arising from the effects of cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy's nature as an umbrella term means it is defined mostly via several different subtypes. The Bobath concept classifies CP into four broad categories: spasticity, athetosis, ataxia and hypotonia (generalised low muscle tone).