Spastic Cerebral Palsy—How It Affects Muscle And Joints

If you have a child that suffers from cerebral palsy disorder, most likely the spastic type is what you are dealing with right now. Being the most common type of cerebral palsy, it is accounted for almost 70 to 80 percent of entire cerebral palsy cases. Individuals that are suffering from this condition basically have stiff muscles which remain on an extended contraction state. Because of this muscle stiffness, normal movement becomes difficult, and it can result to permanent joint and muscle damage.

Although the muscles of the legs and arms are the most affected body parts of an individual suffering from spastic cerebral palsy, its involvement may differ. The following are some of the possible variations:
Spastic diplegia- it is a type of spastic cerebral palsy where the legs' muscles are severely affected that results in the legs to turn in and cross at the knees. Individuals affected by spastic diplegia can experience stiffness of their legs once they tried to walk.
Spastic hemiplegia- it is another type of spasm where the limbs of the half part of the body is severely affected. This type may be diagnosed once a physician examines an infant fro so-called hand preference. An infant aging less than one year old does not show any hand preference. However, if an infant is affected with spastic hemiplegia, it shows hand preference on the affected side of his body.

The treatment for individuals that is affected with spastic cerebral palsy involves combination of surgery and physical therapy. The joints as well as the muscles are exercised to block them from falling into the state of immobility. Once unexercised muscles and joints is combined with abnormal and poor posture, there is a large tendency that muscles be shortened, resulting in much limited flexibility and movements.
In most cases, therapist normally uses muscle-relaxing substances such as botolinum toxin. It is injected on a certain group of muscles that will be prepared for a surgery or physical therapy. If further mobility and flexibility is till unachievable for about a particular therapy session, there will be a need for the patient's spinal cord and nerves for an operation to decrease the transmission of nerve impulses on particular muscles, thus relaxing them. There will also be a need to use orthopedic devices to help keep the limbs in its proper position and enhance movement.
It is important that you are aware of spastic cerebral palsy in order to know what are the necessary treatments to ease the pain that your child or loved one affected by it.