Cerebral Palsy

[farahali525]

Hi! I am a newbie. I have a client whose daughter has cerebral palsy (hemiplegia).  she asked today if I could give her daughter a swedish massage.  Her daughter is 16 years old. Does any one know of contraindications? Any help will be appreciated.

 

[Rouge Kiss Angel Tattoo]

Hello Becka,My brother has cerebral palsy and I have massaged him many times (in fact he was one of my aromatherapy case studies!).  What type of cerebral palsy does she have?  Is it spastic paralysis (which is what my brother has), athetosis (involuntary writhing movements) or ataxia (loss of co-ordination/balance)?Although I only have experience treating spastic paralysis, I can see no reason why treatment shouldn't be carried out on other types of cerebral palsy.  One of my cousins has ataxia and spastic muscles, and is quite badly handicapped, but I haven't ever massaged him.Massgae can help greatly in relieving the pain of the muscles, giving them increased circulation, which is of utmost importance as the spastic muscles tend to start wasting away.  It also helps relieve the pain experienced when the bones grow and the spastic muscles are stretched (they tend not to grow at the same rate due to poor circulation).It's a good idea to attempt passive stretches of the contracted muscles and strengthening of their anatgonists, although obviously within the comfort limit of the person.If she's wheelchair bound you can also slide your hands under the buttocks and use friction and rotary movements to massage them through the clothes, this helps alleviate a lot of the pressure and pain in the buttocks/hamstrings from prolonged sitting.There also tend to be other problems, so a full consultation is nessecary.  My brother for instnace has a very badly deformed spine (for which he has to wear a brace), deformed ankles and mild mental problems (although he is able to attend school with additional help, albeit in a lower year), and was born with a collapsed windpipe, a double hernia, a deformed lip (remedied by exercise) and various other problems.  Not all those with cerebral palsy are mentally handicapped, in fact some are of normal/above average intelligence, but it is commonly found that they are, and this can have a bearing on the treatment.Well, hope this helps,Much love,Martin

 

[PAYET M]

Martin:Thank you for the information. I believe it is ataxia. She also has epilepsy. It is hemiplegia involving just the one side.  She has difficulty with the use of her hand.  She has had several operations on the leg during the past three years and is not wheelchair bound.  My client will be in on Friday and We will try to get a consult with her doctor before starting massage. Again, thank you for the quick reply.Much love to you and your brotherJoe

 

[beartree]

Hi I was cleaning up and ran across a article" How Massage Helps Cerebral Palsy Paitents".  The mag. is MASSAGE issue #92 July- Aug 2001.  I rember reading it and its mainly on kids. Hope you can find it. If not send me a private mail .  I could send it to you.                              Jessica                      Tranquil Touch

 

[trekkie]

Cerebral Palsy

Link to another discussion on this forum about CP:

Cerebral Palsy - Suggestions?
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2330