Infantile cerebral palsy (also infantile paralysis and cerebral palsy, ICP, CP) describes a lifelong early childhood brain injury that can lead to disorders of posture, movement, coordination and balance. The ability to communicate, learn, eat and sleep can also be affected by this neurological disorder. The extent of the disorders depends on the location and size of the brain damage.

The term cerebral palsy is composed of the two words "cerebral" (Latin cerebrum = "brain") and "paresis" (Greek for "paralysis"). Synonymous with the term infantile cerebral palsy, the terms cerebral palsy, infantile cerebral palsy, spastic palsy, or cerebral palsy may also be used.

Early signs of CP disease include:

• abnormal muscle tone (body parts are either very flaccid or extremely stiff),
• developmental delays (the child develops certain skills such as turning over, crawling, sitting etc. more slowly than others), and
• conspicuous posture (for example, the child uses one half of the body more than the other and always grasps objects with the same hand).

If you observe these signs in your baby or are concerned about your child's development, please contact a pediatrician immediately. A relatively early diagnosis increases the possibilities for early intervention.

Infantile cerebral palsy (ICP) is unfortunately not curable. However, an individual treatment concept that is optimally tailored to the child can improve functions and abilities and prevent possible secondary complications.

Interdisciplinary teamwork plays a central role in the therapy of CP patients. Only when physicians, prosthetists, therapists, patients and parents all pull together optimal treatment results can be achieved.

Physiotherapists and occupational therapists carry out regular functional training sessions with the affected patients. For this purpose, functional goals are set together with the parents that are challenging on the one hand, but at the same time realistic and achievable. For example, if the child wants to learn to ride a bicycle, the physiotherapist or occupational therapist plans appropriate movements into the functional training. The training sessions take place under the guidance of the therapists, but can also be carried out in part by the parents themselves. This requires that the parents be trained by the therapists to be able to integrate the functional training into the child's daily routine at home.

Because spasticity can cause pain and limit positioning when standing and sitting, pain reduction also plays an essential role in infantile cerebral palsy therapy. Different methods are used to treat muscle spasticity. The drug botulinum toxin (Botox), for example, is thought to temporarily reduce muscle tone by injecting it into the muscles of the affected limb. Some patients with infantile cerebral palsy may also require surgery on the muscles or joints.

ICP affects several functional systems. Susceptibility to seizures and impairments in motor function, perception and speech are common. ICP also disrupts vital autonomic nervous system functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and metabolism. These disruptions lead to breathing and sleeping problems, as well as increased salivation and sweating, reduced skin circulation, and impaired temperature regulation. Although these disruptions significantly affect the person’s quality of life, they do receive as much attention in therapy.

If ICP patients have cold or blue feet, the reasons for this are often not due to unsuitable footwear, but are more likely due to: 

• Altered motor function or increased muscle tone
• Lack of mobility 
• Body temperature regulation disturbance, circulation disturbance
• Disturbances in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (i.e., interactions between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands)