Therapy is the treatment that is the basis for most success with cerebral palsy patients. It takes the form of movement, speech, vocational practical tasks, and others.

Physical therapy usually begins in the first years of life, soon after the diagnosis is made. Physical therapy programs use specific sets of exercises to work toward two important goals: preventing the weakening or deterioration of muscles that can follow lack of use (called disuse atrophy) and avoiding contracture, in which muscles become fixed in a rigid, abnormal position.

Contracture is a serious complication of cerebral palsy. Normally, children whose bones are growing stretch the body's muscles and tendons through daily activities like walking and playing. This makes the muscles grow at the same rate.

However, children with cerebral palsy, spasticity prevents this stretching and, as a result, muscles do not grow fast enough to keep up with lengthening bones. The resulting contracture can disrupt balance and trigger loss of previous abilities. Physical therapy alone, or in combination with special braces works to prevent this complication by stretching spastic muscles.

Occupational therapy: The therapist works with the child to develop the skills needed in daily life such as feeding, dressing, or using the bathroom. This can help reduce demands on the parents and aid with self-reliance and self-esteem.

Speech therapy: Helps identify specific difficulties and overcome them through a program of exercises involving the mouth and tongue. Speech therapy can also work to help the child learn to use special communication devices, such as a computer with voice synthesizers.

Drug Therapy: Doctors usually prescribe drugs for those who have seizures associated with cerebral palsy, and these medications are very effective in preventing seizures in many patients. In general, the drugs given to individual patients are chosen based on the type of seizures, since no one drug controls all types. People act differently to each drug. Some people need a combination of two or more drugs to achieve good seizure control.

The drugs most prescribed are diazepam, baclofen and dantrolene. Baclofen acts as a general relaxant of the brain and body. Baclofen blocks signals sent from the spinal cord to contract the muscles. And dantrolene interferes with the process of muscle contraction. These drugs are usually given orally and can reduce spasticity for short periods, but their value for long-term control of spasticity has not been clearly demonstrated.

Surgery: Surgery is often recommended when contractures are severe enough to cause movement problems. In the operating room, surgeons can lengthen muscles and tendons that are proportionately too short. Because lengthening a muscle makes it weaker, surgery for contractures is usually followed by months of recovery. For this reason, doctors try to fix all of the affected muscles at once when it is possible or, if more than one surgical procedure is unavoidable, they may try to schedule operations closer together.

A second surgical technique, known as selective dorsal root rhizotomy, aims to reduce spasticity in the legs by reducing the amount of stimulation that reaches leg muscles via nerves. In the procedure, doctors try to locate and selectively sever overactivated nerves controlling leg muscles. Although there is scientific controversy over how selective this technique actually is, recent research results suggest it can reduce spasticity in some patients, particularly those who have spastic diplegia. Ongoing research is evaluating this surgery's effectiveness.

Mechanical aids: The computer is probably the most dramatic example of a new device that can make a difference in the lives of those with cerebral palsy. For example, a child who is unable to speak or write but can make head movements may be able to learn to control a computer using a special light pointer that attaches to a headband. Equipped with a computer and voice synthesizer, this child could communicate with others. In other cases, technology has led to new versions of old devices, such the traditional wheelchair and its modern offspring that runs on electricity.