Are you worried about your child’s dependence on daily activities due to cerebral palsy?
We understand your concern as a parent! It’s tough to see your struggle to do daily tasks. Targeted exercise is a proven way to improve flexibility, strength, and coordination for a cerebral palsy patient. When combined with doctor-guided therapies like MedicoExperts’ Combination Therapy, the results can be even better.
So, let’s first learn about 16 such exercises for cerebral palsy and also how combination therapy can help give your child an independent life.
Why Is Exercise Important for Cerebral Palsy?
Regular doctor-guided exercise can:
- Improve posture, flexibility, and mobility
- Reduce stiffness and joint pain
- Lower risk of chronic diseases
- Boost sleep and mental health
Although physical activities may seem challenging for your child, there are safe, adaptive exercises for every fitness level. Starting early helps your child build lifelong healthy habits. Always consult your doctor or physiotherapist to create a personalized plan for your child.
Things you should do before starting Exercise for Cerebral Palsy
Below are some cerebral palsy exercise guidelines to follow before starting them for your child:
1. Consult a Doctor or Physical Therapist:
It is always important to consult with a medical professional before commencing any type of exercise program. This can help to ensure that the exercises are safe for the individual and specifically tailored to their individual needs.
MedicoExperts can help you get a consultation from the best physical therapist in India.
2. Set Realistic Goals:
When setting out an exercise plan, it is essential to set realistic and achievable goals. This can help motivate the child as those goals work towards their objectives and reduce the risk of them becoming overwhelmed or frustrated. It is important to take into consideration any physical or cognitive limitations that the person may have and adjust the exercises accordingly.
3. Warm-Up:
Include a warm-up before any physical activity. This helps to prepare the body for exercise, reduce muscle stiffness, and increase blood flow. Additionally, it will help reduce the risk of injury.
Let’s learn about the different exercises that can keep a child with cerebral palsy healthy and active:
16 Best Exercises for Cerebral Palsy
If you or your dear one has CP engaging in exercises that improve cardiovascular health, muscle strength, and range of motion is important. Exercise and yoga will help you improve your physical function and overall health. Let’s learn about these exercises:
A. Range of Motion Exercises
Here is a range of motion exercise:
1. Neck Rotation: In this exercise, the child needs to rotate their head in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
2. Head Turn: Make your child turn their head side to side slowly.
3. Arm Circle: Extend your child’s arms to the sides to form a T shape, then move them in circles forward and backwards.
4. Elbow Extensions: Bend and straighten their elbows.
5. Shoulder Shrugs: Lift and lower their shoulders.
6. Wrist Rotations: You need to stabilize your child’s forearm with one hand and move their hand in circles.
7. Marches: Lift your child’s knee as if they are marching while sitting or standing. Do it for both legs.
8. Finger Clenching: Curl all your child’s fingers into a fist, then straighten them out.
9. Hamstring Stretches: This exercise is important for hip and knee movements. it can be done with one leg extended; reach for your toes and gently pull. Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds while deep breathing.
10. Quadriceps Stretches: The quadriceps are the large muscles at the front of your thighs. Stretching them can help your child boost their flexibility and reduce back pain. Lie on your side and then bend your knees. Next, pull your bottom foot toward your buttocks. Hold the position for 30 seconds.
B. Exercises for Cardiovascular Health
Your child’s cardiovascular health can be boosted using some amazing exercises and activities. These exercises will improve their heart health and overall stamina. These exercises help improve blood circulation, increase endurance, and increase mobility.
They need to do these exercises for a minimum of 10 minutes to keep the child’s heart beating at an increased level.
11. Wheelchair Aerobics: Wheelchair aerobics can be a suitable cardio workout if you have cerebral palsy that mainly affects your legs or one side of your body. It involves upper-body movement while sitting in a wheelchair. Examples of these exercises include arm circles, punching motions, and shoulder shrugs. Start with 5 minutes of light aerobic activity at a comfortable pace and gradually increase the duration as your fitness level improves.
12. Stationary Bike: Though stationary bikes won’t give your child the excitement of the outdoors, they have many benefits for children with cerebral palsy. It is a pediatric therapy tool that can boost your child’s cardiovascular health.
13. Climbing Stairs: Stair climbing can be beneficial for your child’s cardiovascular health when they do it with proper guidance and support. It will improve their overall mobility, muscle strength, balance, and coordination, too.
14. Physical Therapist-Led Swimming: Physical therapist-led swimming sessions are excellent for children who have spastic paraplegia, which is a type of CP. It can improve cardiovascular health along with overall mobility.
C. Muscle Strength-Boosting Exercises
Children with cerebral palsy need exercises that help manage muscle stiffness and improve flexibility. Let’s check some of these exercises:
15. Resistance Band Exercises: A resistance band is a thick, strong ring made of rubber or other similar materials. It is used for doing exercises. If your child has limited mobility, these exercises will help him gain strength, as they can be done while seated.
These exercises make daily activities easier for your child. If your child has a cardiovascular condition or any other issues, you need to consult your doctor or rehabilitation team before starting these exercises.
16. Yoga Classes: Yoga can help your child boost strength, coordination, flexibility, and overall movement. Yoga works on multiple parts of the body at a time, which benefits a child with cerebral palsy immensely.
Here are some of the benefits of yoga:
- Holding positions and using their body weight as resistance helps build their child’s muscle strength in areas where muscles are weaker.
- Holding stretches helps lengthen tight muscles in areas where they’re more tense.
- Children with CP sit for long hours. It can tighten their chest muscles, which makes breathing harder for them. Some yoga poses open up the chest and stretch these muscles, helping improve breathing.
Like all other exercises, yoga also needs to be done under the expert supervision of an instructor who has experience working with cerebral palsy patients.
What are the Exercises for Cerebral Palsy for adults?
Exercises for adults will be different from exercises for children with cerebral palsy. Mostly because there are differences in physical development, goals, and needs of a child and an adult.
The types of exercises, support needed, and intensity and duration of exercises will be different for adults. Some of the exercises that can help adults overcome the limitations due to CP are aquatic exercises, moving with weighted cuffs, resistance band training, wheelchair pushups, wheelchair aerobics, and dancing.
What are the Benefits of Exercises for Cerebral Palsy?
There are many benefits of exercise for cerebral palsy. The following are some of them:
- Children with cerebral palsy are five times more likely to have issues related to sleep than non-cerebral palsy children. Exercise helps them sleep better.
- Children with cerebral palsy are also at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Proper exercise and activities can improve their cardiovascular health.
CP can create nutritional issues, which may lead to health complications later. Malnutrition is common in CP children, and when they are malnourished, they constantly feel cold and lose muscle mass and body tissues. Some exercises strengthen their muscles and help them gain a healthy weight.
How much Exercise do Children with Cerebral Palsy need?
Experts have recommended that children with cerebral palsy should do at least 60 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. You may think that 60 minutes of exercise can be exhausting for your child.
But it is not like that. It need not be conventional, rigorous exercises. These exercises can be done through fun activities. There is no doubt that you will need your paediatrician’s and occupational therapist’s support and guidance while doing these exercises.
So, before starting any exercises, you need to consult them without fail. These experts will create an exercise routine for your child that will boost their mobility and overall health by targeting the areas of their body that are most affected by CP.
MedicoExperts’ Combination Therapy for Cerebral Palsy
While exercises play an important role in improving mobility and overall health in cerebral palsy, they work best when combined with a holistic treatment plan. MedicoExperts’ Combination Therapy for Cerebral Palsy is a holistic treatment. Cerebral palsy affects multiple systems, including movement, posture, digestion, and cognitive abilities.
Relying only on physiotherapy or exercises may not give long-term results. By integrating therapies, we work on the root cause and the symptoms, improving motor control, flexibility, speech, and quality of life.
This approach is doctor-guided and personalized, blending advanced medical science, like stem cell therapy, to repair and regenerate neural cells; Ayurveda to strengthen muscles, improve digestion, and boost immunity; and homeopathy to calm neurological imbalances and reduce seizures.
Takeaway
Regular exercise can greatly improve mobility, flexibility, and independence for your child with cerebral palsy. Every child is unique, so a personalized plan guided by experts is essential.
MedicoExperts connects you with top doctors, physiotherapists, and specialists to create the right approach for your child.
To connect with the best doctors, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists in India, call us today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q1. Can cerebral palsy improve with exercise?
A. Exercise helps improve the symptoms of cerebral palsy. Physical activities and exercises allow them to build muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance. If done with proper guidance and assistance, exercise can help them overcome their physical challenges.
Q2. How can I exercise with cerebral palsy?
A. You just need to follow some safety tips to do exercise with cerebral palsy, like starting with supervised training, focusing on low-intensity exercise first, slowly increasing the intensity with approval from your child’s doctor, and stopping when they feel exhausted.
Q3. What are the home exercises for CP?
A. There are many home exercises for CP including joint rotation of ankles, hips, and knees, calf stretch, shoulder stretch, quadriceps stretch, hamstring stretch, and wheelchair pushes.
Q4. What are 3 treatments for cerebral palsy?
A. The three treatments for cerebral palsy are physical therapy and rehabilitation, orthotic devices like braces, splints, casts, surgery, and medication.
Q5. What is the latest treatment for CP?
A. Stem cell therapy is the latest and most advanced treatment for CP. Research has shown that Children with CP have benefitted from this therapy.
Q6. What are some cerebral palsy exercise equipment?
A. Some equipment needed for a person with cerebral palsy is wheelchairs, standers, walkers, bathing chairs, and orthotics.
Q7. What are some trunk control exercises for cerebral palsy?
A. Some trunk control exercises for cerebral palsy are deep breathing, crunches, planks, and bridges.
Q8. What are some sitting balance exercises for cerebral palsy?
Some sitting balance exercises for CP are seated pelvic tilts, seated trunk twists, seated leg lifts, reaching exercises, seated marching, ball tosses, and side bends.
References
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Medically Reviewed by MedicoExperts Editorial & Clinical Review Board on 17 September 2025
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new exercise or treatment program.
