Should my boy continue physical therapy for cerabral palsy?
Question:
We took him to doctor last week and the docter suggested us to have him physical therapy for cerebral palsy as he,
1. Walks on tiptoes if put his feet on floor
2. His tiptoes often bend downside
3. His legs are not so flexible as other normal infants.
By now he could move his eyes and head along moving objects, he could slurp many syllables, he smiles a lot, he could erect his head for a long time, he can grasp toys, and seems study them sometimes. And we had the MRI result yesterday, it said everything of his brain was normal.
However, he can't laugh by now, and seems have difficulty in feeding, sometimes he even crys when being fed.
So it is really a hard choice for us, should my boy move on with the therapy? Thanks in advance!
Answers:
My Doc told us if we hadn't started PT when we did, (7 months) our son would not be walking, talking, and getting ready to start all-inclusive Kindergarten in September. Like I said, he started at 7 mos, and is now 5 years old. We have gone to PT 1-2 times per week for over 4 years now, and I truly believe he would not be as mobile if we had just let him lay in a bed and allow his muscles to get tighter. If you do not have PT, your son may have tendon shortening, which causes even more tip-toes and in the future he may need surgery for it.
From what you describe, our experiences are very similar. At 5 months, my son was nowhere near sitting up, he was drooling a lot, and he spit up every time he was fed. He was also very irritable, but we found out it was a milk allergy causing all the crying.
I am confused with the "normal MRI". CP is caused from lack of oxygen to the brain, which in turn causes the damage, which shows up in the MRI. Was he sedated for the MRI? My son had his MRI at 13 months, but the Ped. Neuro. said the damage would show no matter what age the MRI was done. He said it will never get better or worse, with respect to the test results, not your child's motor skills.
You can never go wrong with PT, it cannot do any damage, and it will only help your son. It will be worth it in the long run. Sometimes I see older kids with CP that are mobile, but have a fisted hand, or a severe limp, and I wonder if they had Physical Therapy. Please do this for your child. I hope you have a Pediatric PT in your area, we drive 4 hours round trip for ours. We have a Pediatric Feldenkrais PT and she has done wonders for our son, in my opinion it's better than traditional PT for our child. Go to www.feldenkrais.com to find a practitioner in your area and learn more about this type of PT. Good luck!
Other Answers:
Therapy is an excellent choice for you. In order for your child to achieve his maximum potential, it is really going to be necessary.
yes, yes, yes..physical therapy is just what your son needs, even if his brain is "normal" physical therapy can help with the motor learning and the delayed devolpment, also look into schools that have physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. you might want to see about getting a speech therapy consult in addition to physical therapy..this can help with feedings Physical therapy is a must with a CP child. He is going to have to learrn how to move his body parts the right way. Taking Phsical Therapy away would be a mistake. Good Luck to both of you.
At 5 months you can't tell what is going to help or not. I say, do therapy because it won't hurt him in the long run and there is no way of telling now if he will be better off for having it in the future.
Yes continue the therapy until the doctor says to discontinue.
You will only be helping the child. Also a lot of kids tippy toe at that age
Of course you should continue therapy! Sounds like you need more resources and support as a parent of a kid with cerebral palsy.
Hope this link gets you started.
More Questions and Answers
- Can Kerasosis Piloris cause itching?
- Chronic asthmatic here moving to Colorado Springs. Will the high altitude affect me more than other cities?
- If you did a blood test(to check all diseases including Hiv in May last year.?
- How can we get through to our kids that sex with several partners is immoral and dangerous! Sex and marriage
- Question about an idodine cream & a triple antibiotic cream.?
- What does this mean 2?
- If you had all these symptoms would you bother, UPDATE!!?
- what is myxedema?