Millions of people all over the world have cerebral palsy (CP) and the condition is thought to affect around 1 in every 400 children here in the UK. World CP Awareness Day, which is observed annually this coming Sunday; the 6th of October, is designed both as a campaign to raise awareness about CP and as a way to bring together those people who are living with the condition, their families, care networks and related organisations and charities. 

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World CP Awareness Day was created collaboratively between United Cerebral Palsy in the USA and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance in Australia. In 2012, the campaign began with a call to the global community asking for ideas for potential new technologies to help people with CP. Entitled 'Change My World in 1 Minute', the project attracted over 470 ideas, the best of which were presented to inventors worldwide.­ 

The winning idea, conceived by Alper Sirvan from Turkey, was for a solar-powered wheelchair. Researchers and inventors at the University of Virginia created a working prototype of Sirvan's idea, which was presented to him at World CP Awareness Day the following year. 

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Since those early days, World CP Awareness Day has continued to grow and develop, becoming a powerful social movement; last year, the campaign reached in excess of 10 million people, representing more than 100 countries all over the world. The stated aim of World CP Awareness Day is 'to ensure a future in which children and adults with cerebral palsy have the same rights, access and opportunities as anyone else in our society.' 

People with cerebral palsy all have problems with their posture and the movements of their body though symptoms can vary widely and can change over time. Some common symptoms include stiff or weak muscles, tremors, poor coordination, speech or hearing problems, scoliosis and learning difficulties. It is estimated that a quarter of children with CP also have epilepsy.  

Managing CP with SDO® Original by Medigarments Ltd

Though CP as yet has no cure, there are several ways to manage the symptoms of the condition including physiotherapy and various medications. Wearing made-to-measure Jobskin®Gaiters and dynamic compression garments from our leading SDO® Original and SDO® Lite ranges can also help. The garments help to normalise muscle tone while enhancing musculoskeletal alignment and stability, resulting in vast improvements in movement fluency, motor control and overall functional performance.

Please browse the Medigarments Ltd website for further details or get in touch with our dedicated clinical team who will be more than happy to help.

SDO^® is part of The World of SDO^® Sensory Dynamic Orthosis range of dynamic Lycra^® compression garments by Medigarments Ltd. SDO^®, Sensory Hug® and Sensory Dynamic Orthosis™ are trademarks of Medigarments Ltd.