Cerebral Palsy Muscle Activation Therapy

Muscle Activation Therapy is a technique developed by Greg Roskopf for increasing physical strength and dexterity while decreasing chronic pain. Roskopf's approach involves identifying and targeting weak muscles in order to help the body function more efficiently. This therapy could be helpful for individuals with cerebral palsy, or CP, because this condition affects the muscles, causing them to be tight and weak. According to Roskopf, these weak muscles affect the performance of other muscles, and using his therapy to "activate" the underperforming muscles eliminates motor problems and chronic pain.

Evaluation

• Muscle Activation Therapy involves a two-step evaluation process. The first step involves finding weak muscle groups. This is done through a Range of Motion, or ROM, evaluation. Individuals with cerebral palsy often have limited range of motion in one or more limbs, and according to Muscle Activation Therapy, these limitations are due to communication problems between the muscles and the nervous system. When a muscle is not responding properly to signals from the nervous system, it becomes both weak and stiff. Muscles always work in pairs: one contracting while the other stretches, so when one of the muscles in the pair is too stiff, it throws of the action of the opposing muscle. In individuals with cerebral palsy, this stiffness, which occurs in varying degrees, is called spasticity, and it interferes with daily activities. A therapist using Muscle Activation would first identify the general location of the spastic muscles and then proceed to the next step of the evaluation. In this step, the therapist evaluates different muscles in various positions to figure out exactly which muscle is not communicating effectively with the nervous system.

Treatment

• Therapists using Muscle Activation treat muscle weakness with a technique called palpation. The therapist manually stimulates the muscle, at each point where it connects to the bone, in order to establish communication between the muscle and the nervous system. This increased communication decreases the imbalance in the muscular system and restores stability to the body as a whole.

  Compared to the general population, individuals with cerebral palsy would need greater amounts of treatment in order to benefit from Muscle Activation Therapy, both because of the brain damage that limits communication between the nervous system and the muscles and because individuals with CP often have a large number of weak and stiff muscles throughout their bodies. In addition, application of Muscle Activation Therapy would be limited in sensitive and hard-to-reach areas, such as the neck and mouth, so this therapy should be combined with other forms of therapy in order to effectively treat cerebral palsy.