Cerebral Palsy Training Guidlines

Limitations: 

• Motor control
• Sensory disabilities
• Vision
• Hearing impairment, 
• Cognitive disabilities
• Intellectual disability
• Perceptual Motor Disorder
• Epilepsy
• Occurs in 25% of those with CP

Exercise testing can be used to uncover challenges or barriers to regular physical activity, to identify risk factors for secondary health conditions, to determine the functional capacity of the individual. 

What to watch for:

• Assessment of the trunk, upper, and lower extremities, range of motion, strength, flexibility, and balance. Use this information to choose the type of exercise equipment, protocols, and adaptations. 
• Use adaptive equipment to assure safety and proper technique as seen in the picture above. 
• Tailor the work out to the needs of the patient. 
  

                                           (Working on stretching the muscles on the inner thigh and trunk strength)

• Maximal testing cannot be generalized. Because of that you should test new patients at two or three sub-maximal levels. 
• Movement during these sub-maximal workloads should e controlled to optimize economy of movement. 
• In individuals with moderate and sever Cerebral Palsy, motion is considered a series of discrete bursts of activity. 
• Can assess anaerobic power derived from the Wingate anaerobic test to determine the potential of the individual. 
• Individuals with Atheoid Cerebral Palsy, strength tests should be performed through closed chain machines. 
• In children with Cerebral Palsy, eccentric strength training increases eccentric torque production throughout the range of motion while decreasing electromyographic (EMG) activity in the exercising muscle.