A review on muscle strength exercises and children with cerebral palsy

Cerebral Palsy been described as a condition/disability that affected muscle tone, coordination, balance and speech. Muscle weakness is part of the motor syndrome and it contributes to limitations in motor ability and a common impairment in children with CP. This is why maintenance of muscle strength in terms of function is important when considering the amount and cost of the care that is needed throughout their daily living and also lifetime. Some past studies do revealed the important of physical activity because of the benefits of physical activity and exercises to overall health are well known especially to people with disabilities who are less likely to engage in physically healthy lifestyles compared with people without disabilities. This is because most inactive adults with disabilities exhibit increased severity of disease and reduced overall health and wellbeing and impairments such as weakness, muscle spasticity and deficient balance make it difficult for children with CP to participate in sport and play activities at a level of intensity sufficient to develop and maintain normal physical fitness levels. Weakness and muscle imbalance have been identified in children with CP, and that contributed to the weak walking gait. Children with CP also must be encourage to be active in strength training since there is no evidence exhibit that strength training causes an increase in spasticity. This will avoid them to have certain level of muscle weakness and will jeopardize their daily living and even their lifetime.