Therapy--physical or otherwise--in cerebral palsy.

Abstract

Sir .—The article by Tirosh and Rabino 1 that appeared in the May 1989 issue of AJDC reviewed the few published studies on the benefit of physical therapy for patients with cerebral palsy. The results are dismal on several accounts, and the need for more scientifically rigorous study is past due. Nonetheless, is this outcome to date really so different from our therapy results in some other conditions? Much time and money is spent rehabilitating normal brains of people that have been injured in various accidents. However, many children with congenital brain lesions (including cerebral palsy) have greater "potential" than those injured later in life. I personally follow up a large cohort of children with cerebral palsy who have normal IQs and who, through therapy—physical or otherwise, are learning to compensate for their disability. If a child was born with a limb defect, all sorts of resources could be brought