Physiotherapy for cerebral palsy: a historical review.

In view of the fact that brain damage cannot be reversed in cerebral palsy, it seems unlikely that there will be recovery other than maturation and compensatory movement. Therefore the two most important aims of treatment would appear to be to delay deformity and to promote the psychological well-being of the child within his or her own family unit. To facilitate these aims research needs to be undertaken by clinical scientists to assess the relative merits of the various approaches. Research methodologies used in psychology and the social sciences may well prove to be more useful for this purpose than those used in traditional medical research. To quote Harris (1989): 'Every discipline evolves its methods in response to the needs of the time and through the genius of its individual practitioners and we will learn how best to combine descriptive research with quantitative methods, with experiment and with techniques not yet invented'.