Cerebral palsy is an irreversible disorder of the developing
brain. It can affect movement and posture of the upper limbs,
trunk and lower limbs. There are many forms ranging from very
mild disability to total body involvement. Orthopaedic
surgeons are mostly involved in the treatment of the spastic forms
of Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral palsy is a major focus of interest and research
conducted in the unit, under the direction of Professor
Graham. There is considerable international interest in
the results of research conducted here.
Physiotherapists from the community and the physiotherapy
department fill an important role in the early interventions and
assessment for CP and play an important role in the ongoing
assessment of treatment of children throughout their
development.
Botulinum toxin (Botox) is sometimes indicated as an aid to
dealing with spastic muscle disease. In some cases its use delays
and prevents the need for surgical intervention. It is
sometimes also used as an adjunct to surgery.
Conventional surgery for Cerebral palsy can range from
muscle-tendon procedures, to bone osteotomies (redirection of
deformed bone and joints) and includes complex hip and spine
surgery.
An increasingly important tool in the assessment and prognosis for children with CP is the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). It is useful for prediction of likely
orthopaedic problems to be encountered for any one child and thus
is useful in directing referrals to the most appropriate clinic for
assessment.