Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have lower endurance and greater muscular weakness than their non-disabled peers, which can be exacerbated by sedentary behaviors and lack of physical activity. A recent in-press article that will appear in the journal Physical Therapy and is authored by members of the American Physical Therapy Association's Pediatric Research Summit, includes a review of evidence that children with CP often develop secondary conditions such as chronic pain, fatigue, and osteoporosis as a result of low physical activity levels.

There have been several articles published within recent years on the effects of exercise on the health of children with CP, but a recent article by Schlough et al. (2005) is a pilot study testing the effects of aerobic exercise on endurance, strength, function and self-perception in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy.

To read the entire article, go to http://www.ncpad.org/474/2358/Exercise~Reduces~Secondary~Conditions~in~Children~with~
Cerebral~Palsy.