Rehabilitation programs for patients with cerebral palsy without intellectual impairment with severe motor impairments

5 minutes

Published: February 19, 2016

Gymnastics in a recreational form is one of the best ways to restore and improve the health of children and adults, used in medicine in the form of therapeutic physical training.

Gymnastics has a number of advantages, thanks to which doctors prescribe it for medicinal purposes. Firstly, gymnastics consists of a huge variety of exercises, including with apparatus and objects that allow you to train different muscle groups. Gymnastics promotes the simultaneous development of all human physical abilities - coordination, strength, endurance, speed, flexibility. Exercises in gymnastics are strictly dosed; the trainer can set different frequencies and intervals for their execution. Gymnastics training is always very exciting and varied.

The combination of these factors gives gymnastics very important healing properties that speed up the process of a person’s recovery, be it poor posture, recovery from injury, or various developmental features.

In general, therapeutic exercises are prescribed by doctors for a wide range of diseases: postural disorders, clubfoot, flat feet, rickets, attention deficit disorder (with hyperactivity and hypoactivity), autism, cerebral palsy (CP), Down's disease and much more.

Health-improving gymnastics is of particular importance for children with developmental disabilities. In the process of training, they develop correct motor skills, they learn to control their body and feel it well in space, muscle tension decreases, the child learns attentiveness and concentration, and his psychological state improves.

The basic principles of therapeutic exercises for children are:

1) an individual approach and a special training plan developed by a doctor in accordance with the child’s illness;

2) regularity, systematicity, continuity of classes;

3) gradual increase in loads.

For children with cerebral palsy, gymnastics will help reduce muscle hypertonicity, improve coordination of movements, learn correct motor actions and the ability to relax muscles, develop flexibility and mobility in joints, and learn balance. With cerebral palsy, it is important to start classes with the child as early as possible. This is due to the developmental characteristics of the child’s brain, its plasticity and ability to compensate for impaired functions.

People suffering from autism develop poorly physically, they are haunted by a feeling of constant anxiety, nervousness, fears, and also have problems socializing in society.

For children with autism and Down syndrome, new, varied and interesting exercises are very important that will captivate them, develop physically, and also teach them the ability to concentrate, facilitate the process of social adaptation and give positive emotions.

Gymnastics will be very useful for them, as it will allow them to perform all the most important tasks to improve their health. Among the most effective are coordination exercises, and in particular: overcoming an obstacle course, climbing a wall bars, exercising on gymnastic equipment (parallel bars, rings), various jumps, including on a trampoline, learning balance (walking on a balance beam), playing ball, training in the accuracy of performing simple motor actions (correct steps, running, jumping).

Classes must be carried out under the supervision of doctors and in accordance with their recommendations for training.

Nikolai Korotaev, a sports doctor and vice-president of the International Association of Health Practices (IASOP), shared his expert opinion with us and told us how gymnastics affects the health of children with special needs.

– What changes do doctors note in children under the influence of gymnastics?

– There are a large number of observations both in Russia and abroad. Back in the 80s, it was known that children who do not engage in gymnastics are more likely to suffer from flat feet and spinal curvatures. If you do regular gymnastics, the disorders identified by the orthopedist are corrected within one to two years.

There are also statistics showing that more than half of children studying in grades 4, 5, 6 have problems with posture. If they do gymnastics, then at least 2/3 of the children will correct it, strengthen the muscles of the back, abdomen, and chest.

– How does gymnastics affect the health of children in case of more serious illnesses?

– There have been many recorded cases where gymnastics helped correct congenital disorders, such as cerebral palsy, torticollis, and clubfoot. For such diseases, gymnastic exercises are first used as therapeutic physical education, and later as sports and recreational activities.

Gymnastics, for example, unlike outdoor games, has a very important property - the dosage of movements. The training process is easier to manage; you can set a certain pace, repetition frequency, and combination of movements. Thanks to this, it is possible to correct disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

– In foreign countries there is a whole area of ​​gymnastics for children with Down syndrome. How is it useful for them?

– In any neurological disorder, coordination always suffers. For a person with developmental disabilities, be it childhood neurosis, Down's disease or other pathologies, the creation of a new motor dominant is always positive. Instilling the skills of regular gymnastics will contribute to the creation of a new dominant that will overlap the intended pathology.

This process occurs as follows: in a child with developmental disorders, there is a focus of the disease in the cerebral cortex, but motor activity creates another focus of excitation, which has a positive effect on the first one, it reduces and covers the focus of the disease. This was also proven by Russian scientists at the beginning of the 20th century.

At the European Gymnastics Center, children can exercise for rehabilitation purposes. The training is based on recreational gymnastics, in a playful way, and is aimed at achieving high-quality results, which is primarily necessary for children with developmental disabilities. Our gym is equipped with modern, safe and bright equipment, interesting obstacle course modules, children's equipment, trampolines and a foam play pit with colored cubes, where children can exercise with great joy and health benefits.

If you have any questions, you can consult with our specialists by calling +7 (495) 477 32 69 or leaving a request for a free trial lesson.

Sign up for a free lesson

All articles