This is a condition that affects the brain, during pregnancy, after about 20 weeks, all the way until the child is about 3 years of age. The cause for the brain injury is from a lack of oxygen going to the brain, whether this is from trauma or rupture of the blood vessels that supply the brain or they have an infection that affects the brain or toxemia. This condition affects boys more than girls.
There are several different forms of Cerebral Palsy, which is determined by the movement disorders that they experience. These movement disorders include:
Spasticity: Increased muscle tone that worsens with pain, stress, fear, and anxiety. It’s the most common form.
Athetoid: Uncontrolled, slow, and writhing movements.
Choreiform: Uncontrolled, quick, and random movements that don’t stop.
Ataxia: Lack of coordination in movements. Can have intention tremors.
Flaccidity: Lack of muscle tone. Present for a year or two then changes to spasticity or athetoid movements
Reflex movements: These are reflexes that are usually only present in babies and go away as they age, however, in this form of Cerebral Palsy, they stay long term
On top of these movement disorders, there is a chance that the person may also experience some form of paralysis that affects the limbs. It can range, depending on how many limbs are affected. These are as follows: monoplegia (1 limb); diplegia (any 2 limbs), hemiplegia (half of the body, same side), triplegia (3 limbs) quadriplegia (all 4 limbs).
Depending on how the person is affected by Cerebral Palsy, will determine what position they will be in for the massage. In general, they are positioned for comfort first, then to help with supporting proper posture. At the same point, treatment will also vary greatly depending on what goals the person has.
Some of these goals can include decreasing overall pain (relaxation massage); decrease swelling (lymphatic drainage, cool compress, elevation of the limb if comfortable to do so); maintain tissue health (circulatory techniques); maintain joint health and flexibility (range of motion techniques, and fascial techniques); muscle and postural imbalances (treating trigger points, stretching or strengthening techniques, and fascial techniques); helping with breathing (treating the rib cage with rib raking or springing, and treating trigger points of the diaphragm, also teach a client how to use diaphragmatic breathing at home).
Depending on the treatment, you may want to have more than one goal worked on, or the main focus for the treatment may change between sessions. Either way, the session is not meant to exhaust you, so the therapist may not be able to work on all the goals that you have, every session.