Cerebral Palsy Physical Therapy Practice Exam 2026 – Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Impairments, Assessments, and Interventions!

Damage to the motor cortex disrupts the brain’s ability to plan and execute precise, voluntary movements. This leads to motor control problems, especially difficulty moving one joint independently from others—what we call fractionated movements. In CP, when the corticospinal pathways are affected, movements tend to become less selective and more stereotyped or synergistic, with variable coordination and sometimes spasticity. Visual deficits aren’t the primary outcome of motor cortex injury, and dexterity is typically reduced rather than improved. While heightened reflexes can occur with motor pathway damage, the defining movement issue described here is the impaired motor control with poor fractionation.