Eureka! Institutional Repository

In 1961, Dr. John William Little was the first to speak about Cerebral Palsy as a separate condition. The causes of CP have been identified as prenatal, perinatal and postnatal. The classification of the condition is quite complicated as there is a great diversity of characteristics between children suffering from it. There are three prevailing classification systems currently used by practitioners. One is based on the nature of the motor disorder, another focuses on its topographic distribution and the third one is related to the functional importance of the condition. In this research paper, we are going to discuss Hemiplegia, which is a type of CP, and more specifically its spastic form. The upper hemiplegic extremity appears with the arm in the position of bending-adduction-internal rotation, bending elbow and forearm in pronation, while the low hemiplegic extremity appears with the hip bending and in internal rotation, the knee bending and the ankle in the position of plantar flexion. The physiotherapist who will work with children suffering from cerebral palsy should have an extensive knowledge of the condition, the child’s growth and development process, as intervention in childhood is crucial for in the course of the disease. As s/he has to treat young children, the physiotherapist should be friendly, patient and inventive. The treatment program ought to have the form of a game, so that the child does not lose interest. The physiotherapy program relies on four basic factors. First, head-neck control; second, trunk control; third, shoulder-basin area control and finally, limb control. The last decades pave produced a significant amount of research in the use of alternative methods that can be applied by physiotherapists and deliver improved results. This is aiming at reducing the need for invasive surgery and replace ineffective methods with enhanced ones.