Early Intervention in Infants With Cerebral Palsy

Contractures are a frequent cause of reduced mobility in children with Cerebral palsy (CP) already at the age of 2-3 years. Reduced muscle use and muscle growth have been suggested as key factors in the development of contractures, suggesting that efficient early prevention will have to involve stimuli that can facilitate muscle growth already before the age of 1 year. The present study protocol was developed to assess the effectiveness of an early intervention program, CONTRACT, on muscle growth and mobility in children at very high risk of CP compared with best standard care.