Overcoming Fatigue Caused by Cerebral Palsy: A Quick Guide

Many patients diagnosed with cerebral palsy report fatigue as one of their main health complaints. Because of how cerebral palsy affects movements, patients need to exert three to five times more energy and effort to do certain things such as standing, sitting, and lifting objects. This leads to significant fatigue that can linger for days. Fortunately, there are ways patients can cope with the help of activity-based therapy in Miami.

Let’s help you get acquainted with cerebral palsy-induced fatigue and how you can overcome it with the help of activity-based therapy.

A Quick Review of Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent condition that afflicts more than 760,000 patients in the USA. Studies note that it stems from different factors such as congenital disability, metabolic diseases, and genetic disorders, but the exact cause remains unknown.

While researchers have identified many possible risk factors and causes for cerebral palsy, there are still no effective ways to prevent the condition from developing. However, many treatment options are available to help manage symptoms so that people with cerebral palsy can live full lives and achieve their full potential.

Doctors and medical researchers have also made significant progress in mapping the impacts of the condition by identifying the four distinct types of cerebral palsy: spastic, athetoid, ataxic, and mixed. Let’s take a closer look at them:

• Spastic cerebral palsy  – Spastic CP is the most common type of this condition and accounts for 70% of cases with this condition. It causes muscle stiffness and sudden jerking movements.
• Athetoid cerebral palsy   – Twenty percent of all kids diagnosed with CP have the athetoid variant. Kids with athetoid CP have abnormal posture due to reduced muscle tone.
• Ataxic cerebral palsy  – This specific form of CP causes difficulty keeping one’s balance and controlling muscle movements. It increases the risk of slipping or falling as a patient struggles to move around.
• Mixed cerebral palsy  – Simply put, this type demonstrates symptoms of more than just one type of cerebral palsy. 

All four types of cerebral palsy can cause disability and eventually noticeable decline in energy levels, sleep disruptions, and other complications.

Fatigue and Cerebral Palsy

Unknown to many people, fatigue goes beyond feeling tired. Instead, it causes various effects on cognition, emotion, physical health, mental health, and social skills. Here’s how they work:

• Physical fatigue – This refers to the inability to perform daily tasks because of the pain and discomfort caused by CP. It also usually manifests right after rigorous physical activity. 
• Mental fatigue – Unlike physical fatigue, mental fatigue doesn’t show obvious signs. It mostly results from prolonged exposure to stressful situations, such as coping with CP-related disability. Notably, there are three kinds of mental fatigue: emotional, cognitive, and social fatigue. 

Studies explain that patients with CP develop fatigue due to several factors. Examples include speech impairments, sleep deprivation, muscle weakness due to a sedentary lifestyle, psychological duress, and breathing difficulties. As a result, resolving CP-induced fatigue will all boil down to addressing some of the key risk factors.

How to Cope with CP-induced Fatigue

Because of the significant disability caused by CP, patients might experience fatigue in various forms. Thankfully, patients nowadays have a variety of options to combat the effects of CP in their life.

Prioritizing Your Plans

Because you have very limited energy to spare each day, planning your tasks ahead is crucial. This will help you avoid overexerting yourself and maximize your schedule and strength. To succeed in this matter, we suggest preparing a list of things you want to do for the week. Then, rank the tasks according to their difficulty level and decide whether to do them independently or with your support system.  

Get enough restorative sleep

Sleep is crucial in recharging the body and facilitating cell and tissue repair. So, as someone diagnosed with CP, you should work extra hard to maintain good sleep hygiene. Practice sleeping and walking on a consistent schedule. It would help if you also tried tapping into techniques such as the following:

•  Switching to comfier beddings
• Avoiding blue light exposure
• Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages two hours before you sleep
• Create a relaxing bedroom
• Limit your morning or afternoon nap time

Trying Activity-based Therapy in Miami

Activity-based therapy in Miami is integral in treating cerebral palsy for locals and visiting patients. It’s a form of physical therapy that helps build strength, endurance, and range of motion in muscles and joints. In addition to improving muscle function, activity-based therapy can improve posture, balance, and walking. A typical treatment plan includes exercises that stretch the muscles around the joints (such as those in the leg) or strengthen them (like lifting weights).

This kind of treatment approach aims to help patients with cerebral palsy be more independent in daily living skills such as dressing themselves or feeding themselves. Activity-based therapy also has cognitive benefits: children who participate in this type of treatment may have improved memory skills later in life than those who don’t get it when they’re younger.

Seek The Best Provider of Activity-based Therapy

iAM ABLE is the go-to authority for activity-based therapy in Miami. We cater to various patients, including those with cerebral palsy. We provide child-friendly equipment and facilities to help treat patients of all ages and manage conditions sustained from accidents and injuries that restrict or affect motor function. iAM ABLE offers activity-based therapy in Miami to patients living with disabilities so they can offer one of the best treatment experiences you’ll find in the state for yourself or a loved one.

If you are experiencing motor issues and concerns, no matter how mild, reach out to us! We will help take better control of your life so you can live happily despite having debilitating conditions like cerebral palsy.

Visit us at iAM ABLE in Miami. We are open on weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm. You can book your appointment via email or phone at 305-283-9717. As a bonus, you may download our e-book on overcoming paralysis – 7 Unbelievably Important Steps to Take to THRIVE after Paralysis – for FREE!

Grab our free e-book 7 Unbelievably Important Steps to Take to THRIVE after Paralysis by clicking the image below.