Cerebral palsy is a congenital debilitating condition. This condition is primarily characterized by the lack of proper communication between the brain and the skeletal muscles of the body. The result of this is a degenerative condition where the skeletal muscles of the body atrophy with time and normal activities become close to impossible.
The condition has no known cure. However, treatment and management of the condition has continued to make striking progress. Management of the condition is achieved through a variety of therapeutic methods. These include use of drugs, therapeutic aids called orthotic devices, and surgery in some cases. The most widely used therapy used, however, is physical therapy. This has been used to great success in many patients.
There are, nevertheless, lesser known and more unconventional methods that have proven highly effective in treating cerebral palsy. These are more often than not stumbled upon rather than realized in some hi-tech lab somewhere. One of these ways to overcome cerebral palsy is what is coming to be known as dance therapy.
Dancing is an activity that many people engage in once in a while. Some do it for fun, others to release stress and others just as a knee jerk reaction to a song they like. All these are factors that have proved very effective in the use of dance as a management and treatment therapy for cerebral palsy patients.
Adding to the already well known and documented music therapy, the effect of music has been seen to dramatically influence the regression of CP. Music influences the mind and causes the release of endorphins into the system. These hormones have been likened to adrenaline in that they boost brain activity and overall awareness of the body. Dancing on the other hand exercises the musculature and helps build new neural connections that make coordination easier.
Results seen so far in some of these patients are a marked improvement and significant psychological conditioning. This means that the patients, in this type of therapy, become more engaged and are more willing to comply with the therapy requirement. As medicine advances, it is becoming more and more obvious that the human body and mind has by far the biggest resource base and ability to heal itself.
