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Concept
Spastic cerebral palsy
Summary
Spastic cerebral palsy is the type of cerebral palsy characterized by spasticity or high muscle tone often resulting in stiff, jerky movements. Cases of spastic CP are further classified according to the part or parts of the body that are most affected. Such classifications include spastic diplegia, spastic hemiplegia, spastic quadriplegia, and in cases of single limb involvement, spastic monoplegia.
Spastic cerebral palsy affects the motor cortex of the brain, a specific portion of the cerebral cortex responsible for the planning and completion of voluntary movement. Spastic CP is the most common type of overall cerebral palsy, representing roughly 80% of cases. Spastic CP is a permanent condition and will affect an individual across the lifespan. The brain injury that causes spastic CP remains stable over time, but the way spasticity affects a person can change. For example, with age they may develop bone deformities from the pull of spastic muscles, muscular deterioration, and loss of range of motion in a joint. Thus, individuals with spastic CP often have different support needs with time.
People with the spastic type of CP typically have muscles that are "tight" or stiff due to high muscle tone. Symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy vary as the disability can affect individuals differently. However, they typically appear in infancy and early childhood and most children are diagnosed in the first two years of life. The main indicator of spastic cerebral palsy is a delay in reaching motor milestones. The following are some common early signs, though the presence of a listed symptom does not definitively mean that a child has spastic CP:
Prior to 6 months
Legs crossing when a child is picked up, also called scissoring
Stiffness
Head "lagging" when the child is picked up
6–10 months
Fisting one hand
Difficulty rolling
Difficulty bringing hands together
Older than 12 months of age
Difficulty crawling
Difficulty standing even with support
Walking with an unsteady, uneven, or stiff gait
Spastic CP is distinguished from other forms of cerebral palsy by its prominent symptom of spasticity or stiff, tight movements and gait patterns such as the scissor gait.
Official source
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