Current Approaches in Cerebral Palsy, A Focus on Gait Problems: Editorial Comment

Excerpt

In modern terms, cerebral palsy is defined as a childhood condition in which a motor deficit occurs due to a static, nonprogressive lesion of the brain. From a historical perspective, William John Little was the first to characterize spastic cerebral palsy in the 1830s [1]. He described it as a brain injury due to oxygen deprivation to the brain at birth. Sir William Osler was one of the first early researchers to study cerebral palsy and wrote the first book on the topic, The Cerebral Palsies of Children [2]. Cerebral palsy is a heterogeneous condition. The size and location of the brain lesion approximates both the severity and characterization of motor involvement. Gait problems are common in ambulatory patients with cerebral palsy. Ambulatory ability may vary from independent ambulation to the need for ambulatory aids such as a walker. In the latter case, ambulatory ability may also depend on good upper extremity function. …