Question
What are the hazards of cerebral palsy in children?
Answer
Children with cerebral palsy should be assessed for their motor function before treatment. In addition to the routine rehabilitation assessments (100 items), evaluations should also be conducted according to the child’s motor developmental program. This includes assessments of initial reflexes and automatic responses as well as evaluations based on developmental milestones. Scissors gait and foot drop are two common clinical signs of cerebral palsy, which are caused by three factors: first, the failure of primary reflexes to disappear and the lack of normal reflexes; second, abnormal muscle use; and third, muscle spasms. When the child is relaxed, scissors gait and foot drop can be corrected. When these signs appear during exertion or movement, it is due to abnormal muscle use. In training, manual correction usually works well. If scissors gait and foot drop appear during movement but disappear when the child is relaxed, it is due to the disappearance of primary reflexes. If there is a significant scissors gait and foot drop even when the child is relaxed and movement does not alleviate the symptoms, it is due to muscle spasms. In such cases, promoting blood circulation massage techniques are needed to correct the condition. A child who has good sitting balance and can crawl and flip over may be able to walk independently within three months if they cooperate with their doctor’s treatment. Walking is difficult for children with cerebral palsy, and walking can be divided into two stages: the first stage involves being able to walk 20 to 50 meters with protection and having a good stride with good balance; the second stage involves correcting posture, which is more challenging. It requires the child’s overall basic functions to be good so that their control and coordination can be well developed, with a good step width, step count, and gait, and the ability to climb stairs (15 centimeters). This stage requires a long time and is prone to setbacks, so every movement must be practiced repeatedly, with daily massage of each joint using rocking techniques.