Parents seek cerebral palsy help too late: Docs

Parents seek cerebral palsy help too late: Docs 

Vivek.Chauhan@timesofindia.com 02.10.2026

Lucknow: Parents often believe cerebral palsy (CP), a condition caused by damage to the developing brain that affects movement and muscle control, is contagious, inherited, caused by parental actions or untreatable. Such misconceptions delay specialist care, experts said on the eve of World CP Day. Prof Vikas Verma, head of Paediatric Orthopaedics at KGMU, said many families seek specialist care only after a child turns four or five, delaying rehabilitation. 

Verma said the department sees 15 to 20 children with CP daily in its outpatient clinic. He said 80% of children requiring rehabilitation should be brought to specialists early, but many arrive late because their families believe little can be done. “In nearly 7 out of 10 cases, children can lead near-normal lives if they receive treatment early,” Verma said. Prof RK Garg, head of Neurology at KGMU, and Verma said CP is a brain injury that affects movement, posture and balance but does not progressively worsen. Verma said the condition is not infectious and cannot spread from one child to another. 

People believe CP always develops due to lack of oxygen during childbirth. “While oxygen deprivation can be a contributing factor, the condition can result from several causes affecting brain development before, during or shortly after birth,” said experts. Another misconception is that treatment is impossible because brain injury cannot be reversed. Verma said physiotherapy, supportive braces and, in some cases, surgery can improve movement and address problems affecting muscles and joints. 

Doctors stressed that CP does not necessarily mean intellectual disability; associated learning, communication, vision, hearing or seizure-related problems vary from child to child. They advised parents to seek medical evaluation if a child has difficulty controlling the head, sitting, standing or walking, uses one side of body more than the other, or shows unusual stiffness or floppiness.