Cerebral palsy The challenge of living with a disability….that is what rehabilitation in cerebral palsy is all about. The damage that has occurred to brain sometime during the initial stages of development cannot be repaired. You live with whatever abilities are left in the intact portion of the brain. The assuring fact is that the damage is not progressive. So your condition does not get worse as you age. It is just that you have live with it. It is definitely a constant battle. You cannot just give up. The key is to make use of the abilities to its full potential and use medical aids like surgery, calipers and other available aids, so that you can come as close to independence as possible. It is a struggle probably you will deal with throughout your life. But it will be worthwhile. Appropriate rehabilitation intervention is inevitable for a cerebral palsy patient. Rehabilitation aims at how close you can lead a normal life.
Motor functions are affected in cerebral palsy. The presentations depend upon the area and extend of brain damage. It is not curable but can be managed such that the affected can lead a better life with the right protocol of management. Common presentations are problems with movement like lack of balance or involuntary movements, tremors, gait problems like scissoring gait, wide gait and sometimes toe walking, muscle tone problems like either too stiff muscles or too flaccid musculature, eating and swallowing difficulties sometimes accompanied with drooling of saliva, eye muscle imbalance, intellectual problems in certain cases, postural problems like scoliosis etc. Each case will be unique. The cause that led to the condition has relevance only in diagnosis. Once diagnosed, there is nothing the cause can help in management. Luckily some cases of CP are not so severe and can be trained to lead an almost normal life. But still there are cases with severe disabilities, which need regular and rigorous rehabilitation assistance.
A notable aspect is that even though the condition is not progressive, if the muscles are left untreated, it can lead to shortening of the muscle fibers and the rigidity increases. The more you delay in rehabilitation, the harder and longer will be the courses of management. So, the important aspect is to bring the patient as early as possible or soon after diagnosis. Suitable modern drugs can be given to relax muscles. Kerala Ayurveda treatments can significantly reduce muscle rigidity and improve muscle strength. At the same time occupational therapy and physiotherapy can be given to ease muscle. The integration of all these branches of science has been developed into MIRA (Meticulous Integrated Rehabilitation Approach) protocols. They are greatly successful and from our experience, the outcomes are often beyond expectations. Our success in rehabilitating CP patients has made it one of our major specialties. What can be done is worked out best when we utilize the residual functional ability at its best. It is ok, if you are in a wheel chair or using a caliper or walking aid. The main aim is to be trained enough to perform your own needs without external assistance. That is what we help you achieve…From dependent to independent.