Physical Exercises in Combination with Botulinum Toxin in Treating Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Literature Review

BACKGROUND: Botulinum Toxin type-A (BoNT-A) is a safe and effective treatment for reducing spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). BoNT-A injection into the muscles alleviate spasticity by interrupting neurotransmission at motor endplate (MEP). Physical activities combined with botulinum injections can help children with CP to become physically independent and improve their health-related quality of life. METHODS: ‘Botulinum toxin’ and ‘Physical exercises’ for children and adolescents, were searched in three major online databases (PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus). Through the inclusion and exclusion processes from total 1,233, nine articles were selected for review. RESULTS: All studies included were experimental trials including various interventions. Botulinum toxins when paired with physical exercises to treat hypertonia, a condition in which a little change in tone can affect a child’s balance, strength and motor function, as well as secondary concerns such as malalignment and repair contractures. CONCLUSION: BoNT and physical exercises are two promising therapeutic techniques for treating children with CP that enable them for enhancing use and function of their afflicted limb.