Upper extremity casting: adjunct treatment for a child with cerebral palsy hemiplegia.

A common upper extremity deformity with hemiplegia is pronation contracture of the forearm in association with flexion contracture of the elbow. Early management of the child with hemiplegic cerebral palsy is critical in optimizing overall function. The use of inhibitory upper extremity casting can enhance function and improve arm-hand position. The present paper describes the evaluation process before casting, the goals of each phase of the casting program, and the follow-up.