Carl Said:

Should my boy continue physical therapy for cerabral palsy?

We Answered:

My Doc told us if we hadn't started PT when we did, (7 months) our son would not be walking, talking, and getting ready to start all-inclusive Kindergarten in September. Like I said, he started at 7 mos, and is now 5 years old. We have gone to PT 1-2 times per week for over 4 years now, and I truly believe he would not be as mobile if we had just let him lay in a bed and allow his muscles to get tighter. If you do not have PT, your son may have tendon shortening, which causes even more tip-toes and in the future he may need surgery for it.

From what you describe, our experiences are very similar. At 5 months, my son was nowhere near sitting up, he was drooling a lot, and he spit up every time he was fed. He was also very irritable, but we found out it was a milk allergy causing all the crying.

I am confused with the "normal MRI". CP is caused from lack of oxygen to the brain, which in turn causes the damage, which shows up in the MRI. Was he sedated for the MRI? My son had his MRI at 13 months, but the Ped. Neuro. said the damage would show no matter what age the MRI was done. He said it will never get better or worse, with respect to the test results, not your child's motor skills.

You can never go wrong with PT, it cannot do any damage, and it will only help your son. It will be worth it in the long run. Sometimes I see older kids with CP that are mobile, but have a fisted hand, or a severe limp, and I wonder if they had Physical Therapy. Please do this for your child. I hope you have a Pediatric PT in your area, we drive 4 hours round trip for ours. We have a Pediatric Feldenkrais PT and she has done wonders for our son, in my opinion it's better than traditional PT for our child. Go to www.feldenkrais.com to find a practitioner in your area and learn more about this type of PT. Good luck!

Mattie Said:

can i go ice skating if i have cerebral palsy???????????

We Answered:

My brother has mild cerebral palsy and he has gone ice skating. he is not the best due to coordination but neither am I. If you are scared of falling then don't go but you aren't sure how good or bad you will be until you try it. Trust me if this is your first time ice skating cerebral palsy or not you are going fall. I went ice skating for the first time at 19 and let me tell you I am glad it was not videotaped. LOL

Tracey Said:

Odds of My Cerebral Palsy friend learning to walk?

We Answered:

i have moderate cerebral palsy. I walk with a walker...but i wont be for long. i have been hitting the gym pretty hard for about 4-5 months. not only have i gotten noticeably stronger, i have more abilty with my hands and legs. she can definately do it but, SHE has to do it.... and its not a quick fix. given the symptoms of cp, even after attaining the ability to walk she will have to strech daily... its never too late for anything. good luck. -Austin

Tracy Said:

is this normal for an 18 year old with cerebral palsy?

We Answered:

Not that I know of, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_pa… I'm sorry though. Um it can cause epilepsy though and spasms along with dandy- walkers syndrome. But no signs of memory problems but I would guess since it's in the brain it can occur. But other than that speech impediments are normal.

Jane Said:

Is hydrotherapy relevant for infants with cerebral palsy?

We Answered:

Hi there. I do not have statistics for you, but I know of someone who has seen a lot of developmental success in her child through hydrotherapy. Her son is a little older, though. You may be able to connect with her and other parents in similar situations through a new group I started on facebook: http://groups.to/cerebralpalsy/
If you do not use facebook - there are actually A LOT of parents of CP kids utilizing it as a resource and support group so it may be worth joining.
An additional CP resource that may be of benefit is the website http://www.cerebral-palsy-information.com

Good luck!

Vicki Said:

my daughters physical therapist said she can reduce physical therapy shes 20 and has cerebral palsy is this ok

We Answered:

NO it is not oaky you need to stop therapy completely!!!