How Non-Progressive is Cerebral Palsy?

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Our friend Sam from Inclusfit asks the questions.

It is well-known in the medical profession that cerebral Palsy is non-progressive….

But how non-progressive is cerebral palsy? How does the ageing process make it progressive? How vital is strength training as we age?

Cerebral Palsy is non-progressive with the brain damage that was caused. But as we age, the natural ageing process starts to take place but it can have a lot more impact on us with cerebral palsy. This is due to the impact on the skeleton with the way we move, how tight muscles & increased spasticity can cause more pain & make movement impossible.

Strength (resistance) training is vital as we age, it can be done sitting down or standing up. You don’t need any fancy equipment if you are starting, you can use milk bottles, tins etc anything in the kitchen can be used. But body weight is just as good as well.

If you are new to exercise with CP, it will be painful to start with. This is because you are waking up those muscles that you haven’t used in a long time & they are just saying…. ‘Ooh hello, what are you doing to me’ A lot of people with CP, will give up because they think this pain is bad but it is the opposite & is a good sign that you are working the muscle.








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