Why we promote early treatment of cerebral palsy

  Through our long-term clinical practice experience, it is proved that children with pediatric cerebral palsy often have symptoms such as abnormal head circumference, unresponsiveness, inability to suck or weak sucking, frequent choking and vomiting, very quiet crying or persistent crying after birth, still unable to laugh 2 months after birth, unable to open their hands at 4 months, unable to lift their heads when lying down or unable to hold their heads upright when sitting, and unable to reach out and grasp objects.  If parents find that their baby looks different from a normal child, they should not judge at home whether there is something wrong with the child, but should bring it to the pediatrician for an early examination. Once a child with cerebral palsy is diagnosed, early scientific and standardized treatment is the key to determine their future mobility and quality of life. Treatment is more effective if it is started within the first half of the child’s life. If the child is already at risk for cerebral palsy at birth, prevention and treatment of cerebral palsy should be started right after birth.  The best results can only be achieved if the child is treated at the best age, so early detection and diagnosis of cerebral palsy is also a prerequisite for satisfactory results. If cerebral palsy is detected and treated early, the early detection of abnormal movement and early correction of abnormal movement can easily lead to better results; it can effectively promote the development of normal movement, inhibit abnormal movement and posture, and provide functional training according to the law of motor development of children, and gradually promote the correct movement of children.  In conclusion, rehabilitation of cerebral palsy is a comprehensive process. In addition to long-term rehabilitation training, surgical treatment (correction of contracture deformity, etc.) should also be performed when necessary in order to lay a good foundation for the next stage of rehabilitation training; various types of orthopedic devices can also be selected according to the actual situation of the child, with the purpose of enhancing muscle control and preventing deformities. In addition, cerebral palsy treatment should be combined with various effective means to provide comprehensive and diversified treatment for the child, keeping in mind the treatment principle of combining home rehabilitation training and doctor-directed rehabilitation.  Currently, the main treatment for cerebral palsy is rehabilitation and surgery, which can be supplemented with orthopedic treatment. The rehabilitation treatment mainly includes: physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, limb exercise, apparatus training and so on. There are also many surgical procedures: FSPR (functional selective posterior spinal nerve root dissection), SPN (peripheral nerve narrowing), CCA (carotid artery epicraniectomy), etc.  At present, the most commonly used and most effective procedure, FSPR, has achieved good results mainly for spastic cerebral palsy, which has the highest incidence. Especially for children with cerebral palsy aged 2.5 to 6 years with combined hypertonia, FSPR is very effective, as it can significantly reduce the patient’s muscle tone by selectively blocking the posterior spinal nerve roots. The relatively high incidence of tardive dyskinesia can be treated with carotid epicranial stripping, which is also effective. If the patient still has limb deformities after decompression surgery, the patient can be treated with CPMMA surgery (cerebral palsy muscle tone adjustment).  The postoperative rehabilitation of cerebral palsy generally requires that passive movements of both lower limbs should be started from three days after surgery under the guidance of medical staff, and more active muscle movements and joint activities should be encouraged. Therefore, long-term cooperation from patients and their families is needed to achieve satisfactory results. In conclusion, postoperative rehabilitation of cerebral palsy should be an integrated and coordinated application of medical, social, educational and vocational measures to train and retrain the child to restore his or her function to the highest possible level.