Cerebral Palsy

What are the signs and symptoms of cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy symptoms include movement or posture issues that are not progressive, meaning they don’t get worse over time. A child with CP may take longer to reach developmental milestones, such as sitting or walking.

During infancy, a child with CP may display:

• Abnormal posture or reflexes
• Asymmetrical movement
• Abnormal muscle tone
• Difficulty sucking or swallowing
• Fisted hands

In some cases, CP may cause more severe symptoms, including:

• Difficulty with rolling, sitting, standing or walking
• Differences in walking or running compared to children of the same age
• Trouble with coordination in one arm or leg
• Difficulty with hand use
• Scoliosis
• Hip dislocations
• Vision impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Trouble feeding
• Difficulty breathing

How do we diagnose cerebral palsy?

At Children's Colorado, a pediatric neurologist or a rehabilitation doctor will likely diagnose your child with cerebral palsy after a birth and family history, a thorough developmental evaluation and possibly a brain MRI or genetic testing. Repeat visits are important for our team to get to know your child and their symptoms. In some cases, it isn’t possible to determine the exact cause of CP, but that doesn’t change our comprehensive care.

How do we treat cerebral palsy?

While we can’t cure CP, we provide many treatments and therapies that can improve symptoms and quality of life for kids, teens and young adults, including:

• Physical, occupational or speech therapy
• Orthopedic surgery, when needed
• Medications, injections, therapy, equipment or braces as needed for muscle tone
• Neurosurgery, such as selective dorsal rhizotomy or intrathecal baclofen pumps (medication used as a muscle relaxer) to reduce muscle spasticity (tightness) 
• Orthotics (braces)
• Botulinum toxin or phenol injections (for tight muscles)
• Casting
• Adaptive seating
• Mobility devices
• Communication devices

Cerebral palsy orthopedic surgery to address mobility

Children growing up with cerebral palsy often develop mobility issues due to muscle imbalance and tightness in their arms and legs. To help improve mobility for children with cerebral palsy, surgeons at Children’s Colorado can perform different procedures depending on what movement issue or challenge your child may have.

These three procedures address different orthopedic issues. Watch the videos below to understand the purpose of these procedures, as well as the process of the surgeries, benefits and recovery times. 

VDRO surgery

Also known as femoral varus derotational osteotomy, this surgery helps with tightness of the hips known as spasticity, which can deform joints over time.

Distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar advancement to treat crouch gait

Distal femoral extension osteotomy and patellar advancement surgeries focus on the knees, specifically tight muscles and displaced kneecaps that can cause crouch gait (walking hunched over).

En Español:

Recession of the gastrocnemius and calcaneal lengthening to treat neuromuscular flatfoot

Recession of the gastrocnemius and calcaneal lengthening improves the ankle's dorsiflexion, or flexibility, with spastic flatfoot (inflexible and flat foot).

Why choose us for cerebral palsy treatment?

Providing individualized, comprehensive care is at the forefront of the Cerebral Palsy Program in our Pediatric Rehabilitation Department and Orthopedics Institute. We want all children and adults with CP to live their fullest and best lives. And because we understand that every child is different, we tailor treatment recommendations for each child and their family.

Within the program, experts from across our hospital come together to work as a team and provide the most up-to-date treatments to help children thrive.

These specialists can include:

• Orthopedic surgeons
• Neurosurgeons
• Rehabilitation physicians
• Physical, occupational and speech therapists
• Neuropsychologists
• Genetic counselors
• Developmental pediatricians
• Nutrition specialists
• Experts in the Center for Gait and Motion Analysis
• Specialists in our Adaptive Recreation for Childhood Health Program

Families travel from all over the region to see our experts because they provide the highest level of care. We also help growing kids transition to adult care so they can continue to thrive throughout their lives.

Helpful resources

• The Cerebral Palsy Family Network
• Cerebral Palsy Guide
• Cerebral Palsy Resource
• United Cerebral Palsy