Muscle Size, Composition, and Architecture in Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

There is tremendous growth and development of skeletal muscle during childhood and adolescence. Increase in cross-sectional area and length and change in architecture allow muscles to generate greater forces needed to accommodate increase in body size that occurs during the first two decades of life. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) have smaller muscles that contain less contractile tissue and more fat, both of which interfere with force generation. These muscle deficits are linked to the impaired movement, low physical activity, and the higher risk of chronic diseases in individuals with CP. In this chapter, we will review how the muscles differ in children with CP compared to typically developing children. We will also review factors that contribute to the poor muscle growth and development in children and adolescents with CP, methods of muscle assessment, and potential treatment strategies.