Spastic Cerebral Palsy
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This type of cerebral palsy is the most common and accounts for around 80% of the total number of children and adults with the condition.
Spastic cerebral palsy is the result of neurological damage to the pyramidal tract region. The part of the brain affected manages muscle control in the body. The word spastic means stiff muscle and this a good description of the this type of Cerebral Palsy. That said there are two types of this type of the condition. Hypertonia which results in increased muscle tone giving the appearance of stiffness Hypotonia which gives decreased muscle tone making limbs appear floppy. Just like other types of CP no two cases of Spastic Cerebral Palsy are exactly the same, different parts of the body are affected and the range of severity broad although many children may display similar characteristics. Spastic cerebral palsy symptoms: Muscles that are tight and do not stretch and they may get progressively worse over time. Abnormal walk (gait) and arms may be tucked in toward the sides, knees may be crossed or touching and legs making scissors, crossing movements, walk on the toes. Joints may be tight and do not open up all the way this is sometimes called joint contracture. Muscle weakness or loss of movement in a group of muscles. Spastic CP has differing levels of severity with the the lowest called Spastic hemiplegia which affects one side of the body mostly an arm and occasionally including the leg. Spastic diplegia affects the legs and causes problems walking and balancing. The most sever type of the condition is is Spastic quadriplegia with all four limbs affected. Sometimes because of the severity of the damage a child expressing Quadriplegia may suffer learning difficulties, have sever mobility problems and suffer from epileptic seizures. Other common associated conditions include: Learning Difficulty Epilepsy Spatial Awareness Hearing Problems Behavioral Problems Sleep Problems Difficulty Feeding Drooling |
Information on this page about Spastic cerebral palsy is intended to provide an easily digestible overview of the condition and not considered as medical advice .
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