Advances in integrated surgical and rehabilitation treatment for cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of motor disorders caused by non-progressive brain injury during development, often accompanied by sensory, cognitive, and behavioral impairments. It remains one of the most common causes of childhood disability. In recent years, the coordinated integration of surgical intervention and rehabilitation has transitioned from a conceptual framework to clinical practice, becoming a core strategy for improving patient function. However, integrated treatment still faces major bottlenecks: insufficient bridging between treatment phases, lack of individualized protocols, and inconsistent outcome measures. This review examines recent advances in integrated surgical and rehabilitative care for CP, covering four core domains: spasticity management (selective dorsal rhizotomy, botulinum toxin injection) with sequential rehabilitation; deformity correction (tendon lengthening, osteotomy) with biomechanically guided individualized rehabilitation; neuromodulation (deep brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation) with neuroplasticity-targeted training; and emerging technologies including robotic-assisted therapy, artificial intelligence, and digital therapeutics. Surgery creates the anatomical foundation for function; rehabilitation determines the ultimate functional value of surgery. The temporal coordination and strategic synergy between the two are critical for maximizing functional improvement. Future efforts should focus on establishing unified outcome measures for integrated treatment, promoting early intervention combined with regenerative medicine, and leveraging AI to shift from experience-driven to data-driven precision therapy.