Treatment Options

Treatment Options

There is no standard therapy that works for every type and every person with CP.  Many factors should be considered when putting together a treatment plan. Once a CP diagnosis is made and the type of CP is determined, a team of health care professionals will work to develop a treatment plan to meet your goals. 

This will likely change over time through various ages and stages of life and may include a variety of approaches. One, or several different types of treatment, may be recommended depending on severity and what parts of the body are affected. Remember to ask questions of your clinicians and providers regarding why they are recommending a specific treatment and what to expect as a result. 

Treatment Overview
  • Briana (Age 4) in therapy moving a puzzle piece with her PT
    Cerebral Palsy Treatment Overview
    A child may need one or several different types of treatment depending on how severe the symptoms are and what parts of the body are affected. Early intervention and treatment may help to improve function for the nervous system and musculoskeletal system. Families may also work with their health care providers and, during the school years, school staff to develop individual care and treatment programs.
How to Choose the Right Treatment?
Therapies
  • Tylynn, 2 years old, using their walker
    Goals of Physical Therapy
    Cerebral palsy is a damage to the developing brain in the motor part of the brain. Individuals with cerebral palsy have problems with weakness and sometimes also involuntary movements.
  • Drawing of hand next to drawing of hand in sling for movement constraint therapy
    What is Constraint Induced Movement Therapy?
    Upper limb therapies and interventions have been well studied in cerebral palsy. Different interventions that have good evidence are Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) and Bimanual Therapy. CIMT has been shown to be successful in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP). CIMT uses a splint to physically constrain the uninvolved arm and encourage them to use the more involved or affected arm.
Spasticity Management
Orthopedic Management
Relevant Research
  • Icon of microscope against documents against gray background
    State of the Evidence Traffic Lights 2019
    Purpose of review: Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability of childhood, but the rate is falling, and severity is lessening. We conducted a systematic overview of best available evidence (2012-2019), appraising evidence using GRADE and the Evidence Alert Traffic Light System and then aggregated the new findings with our previous 2013 findings. This article summarizes the best available evidence interventions for preventing and managing cerebral palsy in 2019.

Remember to ask questions of your clinicians and providers regarding why they are recommending a specific treatment and what to expect as a result. 

Contributors
Dr. David Roye, MD
Medical Director, Cerebral Palsy Foundation & Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center, Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Heakyung Kim, MD
A. David Gurewitsch Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics at the Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Joshua E. Hyman, MD
Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at CUMC, Associate Director, Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center
Dr. Lisa Thornton, MD
Division Chief for Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine at Sidra Hospital in Doha, Qatar.​​​​​​​
Dr. Nathalie Maitre, MD, PhD
Director of Early Development and Cerebral Palsy Research, Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; Chief Science Officer and co-Founder SmallTalk
Fabiola Reyes, MD 
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physician / Médico de medicina física y rehabilitación
Kyle Ryan, MD 
Director of the Adult Spasticity Rehabilitation Program of the Southern Family Cerebral Palsy Center
Lane Wimberly, MD 
Orthopedic Director of the Cerebral Palsy Program, and the Medical Director of Movement Science at Scottish Rite for Children / Director ortopédico del Programa de Parálisis Cerebral y Director Médico de Ciencias del Movimiento en “Scottish Rite for Child
Mauricio R. Delgado, M.D., FRCPC, FAAN
Professor of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center / Profesor de Neurología y Neuroterapia en “The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center”
Nathan Rosenberg, MD 
Assistant professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Ohio State University, Medical Director of the Rehabilitation Inpatient Consultation Service
Paulo Selber, MD
 Director of Gait Recovery at the Weinberg Family CP Center | Pediatric & Adult Orthopedic Surgery, Gait Analysis
Phoebe Scott-Wyard, D.O.
 Rehabilitation Medicine Specialist at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and Assistant Professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine