The need for early rehabilitation of pediatric cerebral palsy

  The plasticity of the human brain refers to the amazing ability of the brain to continuously change its structure in response to environmental experiences; the immature brain has the strongest plasticity and the best compensatory capacity; once the brain tissue is mature, it is impossible to realize the entire reorganization. Thus, early environmental experience and early functional training are particularly important for normal brain development and the establishment of normal posture.  Early stimulating environment has positive and favorable effects on the brain, abnormal experiences and environmental deprivation cause brain and behavioral damage that can last even irreversibly throughout life, and early treatment can also prevent secondary lesions in children with cerebral palsy. In other words, early diagnosis and early treatment is a very important point in the rehabilitation of cerebral palsy. Because the brain of a child with cerebral palsy is damaged to varying degrees at an immature stage, it makes certain functions of the central nervous system impaired.  Early treatment of cerebral palsy can promote effective compensation of the function of the damaged brain in the process of continuous maturation and differentiation. In the early stages of the child’s life, the central nervous system is immature, and as the child grows older, the nervous system continues to mature and differentiate, generating new functions and gradually forming a specialization of various functions.  It is important to note that when performing preparatory activities for early rehabilitation of cerebral palsy, muscle pulling must be scientifically accurate: first obtain the child’s cooperation, tell him what you are going to do, and then place the child in a position that reduces stiffness or abnormal movements. Hold the limb in the pulling position and pull very slowly and gently for 20 strokes, and when the muscle relaxes, pull again slightly. Repeated stretches should last for 5 minutes, twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.  The treatment of pediatric cerebral palsy is a long and delicate work. The recovery of brain function and the establishment of normal posture is a slow process that usually takes months, if not years. A proportion of children with cerebral palsy achieve significant clinical improvement with a few weeks of comprehensive treatment, but it must be adhered to or the restored muscle function will regress to its original state.  If a child is suspected of having cerebral palsy, parents should promptly seek medical examination and evaluation to make an early diagnosis. For children with cerebral palsy after birth, comprehensive rehabilitation measures must be taken as soon as possible after the vital signs are stabilized, and the rehabilitation effect of such children is much better than that of children with congenital cerebral palsy. how to rehabilitate children with cerebral palsy after 6 years old?  Generally speaking, when a normal child reaches the age of 6, the various functions of the central nervous system are basically well developed and specialized. Therefore, it may be more difficult to start the training of various functions beyond the age of 6. For those children with cerebral palsy who are older and have not received early rehabilitation, they have developed stubborn and difficult to correct abnormal movement patterns due to the influence of long-term abnormal postures and reflexes. Especially for those children with severe spasticity, the abnormal posture and movement patterns often further exacerbate their spasticity and eventually lead to irreversible tendon contractures and bone and joint deformities, causing great difficulties for rehabilitation treatment.  In addition to emphasizing early development of cerebral palsy rehabilitation, a comprehensive multi-modality combination of treatment principles should be adopted, but this does not mean that all children receive the same mode of rehabilitation treatment. We always emphasize that because each child with cerebral palsy has a different condition, the treatment plan and treatment results are different from person to person. There is no uniform model for cerebral palsy rehabilitation, and whether the results are significant or not will also vary depending on the condition of each child.  In conclusion, scientific rehabilitation treatment for cerebral palsy follows the principle of “early rehabilitation training, surgery and post-operative rehabilitation”. In other words, the treatment of cerebral palsy should include massage, Chinese herbal medicine and Chinese acupuncture point injection in Chinese medicine, as well as movement therapy, speech training, physical therapy and cognitive education in Western medicine, plus surgery and orthopedic treatment at the right time. Early rehabilitation should be started immediately after the diagnosis of the condition.