Cerebral Palsy is Not an Exception to Exercise

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If you are an individual diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP), you are no different than any other human on this planet. So why are you being treated as such? Throughout the years, people have been scared of the liability of exercising anyone who is different. To obtain physical activity you have go to a physical therapy office and struggle with insurance simply to obtain a greater quality of life. A little known fact is that all people need exercise throughout their lifespan for optimal health benefits. What if you could go into a gym and exercise like everyone else?

When individuals think of Cerebral Palsy, they generally assume the worst. CP is defined as “a group of permanent disorders of movement and posture causing activity limitation that are attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occurred in the developing fetal or infant brain.”1 The definition of CP in itself is negative and discouraging. Physical fitness is an essential part of life enhancing cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, and flexibility.  People with CP must maintain higher levels of physical activity to help offset changes from their condition including spasticity, contractures, pain, and reduced mobility. With increased amounts of exercise, those conditions will lesson and almost disappear. With time, you will reduce your intake of medications, and depression may no longer become an issue.

In an interview with Jerry Thornton, a 52 year old with CP who has been exercising for the last twenty years at the Lab for Wellness and Motor Behavior, he says, “I only pay about 8 dollars a year in health care. I never catch the common cold during flu season and my heart is healthier than most athletes.”  Thornton leads by example, and people need to follow his direction. Three benefits of exercise for people with CP are: “preventing secondary musculoskeletal impairments and maximizing physical functioning; fostering the cognitive, social, and emotional development of (individuals); and developing maintaining and…restoring neural structures and pathways.”2

Living a sedentary lifestyle leads to devastating outcomes such as muscle atrophy, depression, fatigue, cardiovascular disease. There are few programs that foster the idea that exercise should be created equally for all people. If you are an individual with CP, find a gym that is right for you and consult with a professional for the best way to adapt your workout to meet your needs. Follow Thornton’s example and add strength training, muscle endurance, stretching, and stabilization to your everyday routine.

References

1Damiano, D. (2006). Activity, Activity, Activity: Rethinking Our Physical Therapy Approach to Cerebral Palsy. Physical Therapy, 86(11), 1534-1540. doi:10.25/22/ptj.20050397

2Hombergen, S., Huisstede, B., Streur, M., Stam, H., Slaman, J., Bussmann, J., & Berg-Emons, R. (2012). Impact of Cerebral Palsy on Health-Related Physical Fitness in Adults: Systematic Review. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 93(5), 871-881. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2011.11.032