Physiotherapy and Physical Activity – Experiences of Adults with Cerebral Palsy, with Implications for Children

Abstract

The present study is a postal survey on adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in Norway and their experiences with physiotherapy and physical activity. The respondents were 406 persons with CP, without intellectual disabilities, 49% females and 51% males between 18 and 72 years (mean = 34 years). Type, amount and experiences of physiotherapy and physical activity were reported in addition to demographic, diagnostic and locomotion data, and data on new health problems, such as deterioration, chronic pain and fatigue. Almost all the respondents (92%) received physiotherapy as children, while 40% had physiotherapy and 46% performed physical activity regularly as adults. The study documents that physical activity may contribute to prevent deterioration, chronic pain and fatigue in adults with CP; however, grade of CP is the strongest predictive variable. The strongest predictive variable, significantly associated with regular physical activity as an adult, was having learnt how to take personal responsibility for personal health during childhood. These experiences give valuable information, which could be used to make better life span follow-up programs for the persons with CP.