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Please ask a qualified health professional about symptoms, treatment decisions, or concerns about your own condition.
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Bones & Joints
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent movement and posture disorder caused by brain injury before, during, or shortly after birth, affecting 1 in 500 Australian children (approximately 34,000 Australians living with CP). While the underlying brain injury doesn't worsen, children with CP commonly develop orthopaedic complications including hip displacement (affecting 35% of all CP children and up to 90% of non-walkers), spinal deformity (scoliosis in 20-60% depending on severity), muscle contractures limiting joint movement, and foot/ankle deformities affecting gait. In Australia, children with CP are classified by the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS levels I-V, from independent walking to complete wheelchair dependence) and undergo regular hip surveillance with X-rays every 6-12 months to detect hip subluxation early when preventive surgery is most effective. Orthopaedic treatment focuses on maintaining mobility, preventing deformity, and improving function through physiotherapy, bracing, botulinum toxin injections for spasticity, and surgery when needed—with multilevel orthopaedic surgery able to significantly improve walking patterns in selected ambulatory children, and hip reconstruction preventing painful dislocation in non-ambulatory children.
What it is and why it happens
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a permanent movement and posture disorder caused by brain injury before, during, or shortly after birth, affecting 1 in 500 Australian children (approximately 34,000 Australians living with CP). While the underlying brain injury doesn't worsen, children with CP commonly develop orthopaedic complications including hip displacement (affecting 35% of all CP children and up to 90% of non-walkers), spinal deformity (scoliosis in 20-60% depending on severity), muscle contractures limiting joint movement, and foot/ankle deformities affecting gait. In Australia, children with CP are classified by the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS levels I-V, from independent walking to complete wheelchair dependence) and undergo regular hip surveillance with X-rays every 6-12 months to detect hip subluxation early when preventive surgery is most effective. Orthopaedic treatment focuses on maintaining mobility, preventing deformity, and improving function through physiotherapy, bracing, botulinum toxin injections for spasticity, and surgery when needed—with multilevel orthopaedic surgery able to significantly improve walking patterns in selected ambulatory children, and hip reconstruction preventing painful dislocation in non-ambulatory children.