What does spastic cerebral palsy look like?
What is spastic cerebral palsy?
Spastic cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder that causes problems with movement and balance. Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common type of cerebral palsy, occurring in approximately 70 – 90% of all cases.
What causes spastic cerebral palsy?
A brain injury that occurs during or near the time of labor and delivery can cause spastic CP. Many complications can lead to a brain injury at birth, including:
- Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy
- Infections
- Stroke
- Birth trauma
- Kernicterus from untreated jaundice
- Intraventricular hemorrhage
- Premature birth
Many times, spastic cerebral palsy is caused by a preventable birth injury. If an injury happened because a medical professional did not do what do what they were supposed to, it may be medical malpractice. It may be medical negligence if the medical staff did not properly monitor your labor and delivery and delivery in time, resulting in a brain injury and spastic cerebral palsy for your child. If you have any concerns about injuries at your child’s birth, find out how a cerebral palsy attorney can help.
How can you tell if a child has cerebral palsy?
Sometimes babies show signs of cerebral palsy soon after birth, but in other children, the disorder won’t be obviousnoticed until a few years later.
Babies with cerebral palsy are often slow to:
- roll over
- sit
- crawl or walk
- may look weak
- have poor head position
Cerebral palsy noticed a few years later in life is characterized by:
- abnormal muscle tone
- poor reflexes, and motor coordination
- permanently fixed/tight muscles (spasticity)
- spasms and other involuntary movements
- unsteady walking
- problems with balance
- scissor or toe walking
Spastic Cerebral Palsy and Muscle Tone
Normally, muscles coordinate in pairs; when one group of muscles contract (tighten), the other group relaxes. In spastic cerebral palsy, muscles affected by spastic cerebral palsy become active together, which prevents coordinated movement. Children with spastic cerebral palsy have stiff muscles. They have jerky or spastic movements stemming from an abnormally high muscle tone, called hypertonia.
People with spastic diplegia, or spastic cerebral palsy that primarily affects the lower body, have a distinctive walk called a “scissor gait.”
Scissor gait is characterized by the following:
- Hips and pelvis are often locked as if crouching while walking
- Ankles may be turned inwards while walking
- Feet often make contact with the ground primarily at the ball of the foot, not the heel (may look like “tip toe” walking)
- Knees and thighs may cross or touch while walking
- Arms and hands may go outwards from the body to provide balance
The degree of spasticity varies widely from child to child. Balance problems or stiffness in gait can range from barely noticeable to necessitating wheelchair use.
Above the hips, children with spastic diplegia typically retain normal or near-normal muscle tone and range of motion. Some spasticity may also affect the upper body. Increased muscle tone usually develops in the upper body, shoulders, and arms due to the upper body trying to compensate for the instability of the lower body.
Due to pain and stress from muscle tightness, people with spastic cerebral palsy may experience:
- Clonus: Clonus is a series of involuntary, rhythmic, muscular contractions and relaxations. Clonus is not the same as hemiparetic tremors.
- Muscle spasms: Muscle spasms occur when muscles move suddenly and involuntarily. Spasms can indicate especially hard-working or exhausted musculature.
- Hemiparetic tremors: Hemiparetic tremors are an uncontrollable shaking that affects the limbs on one side of the body. These tremors impair normal movement.
- Arthritis and tendinitis: Spasticity can lead to very early onset of muscle-stress symptoms like arthritis and tendinitis, especially in walking individuals in their mid-20s and early 30s.
Spastic Cerebral Palsy and Brain Injury
Although it has its origins in a brain injury, spastic cerebral palsy can be thought of as a collection of orthopedic and neuromuscular issues. Spasticity is a description of the movement disorder caused by the brain injury. An injury in the brain can cause spastic cerebral palsy without causing cognitive or intellectual problems. Someone with spastic quadriplegia may have strabismus (crossed eyes) or verbal challenges from motor problems involving the jaw and mouth, but cerebral palsy does not affect intelligence.
If a baby sustains a brain injury that causes damage to multiple areas of the brain, and the child can be left with spastic cerebral palsy as well as intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (an injury from lack of oxygen in the brain) can cause spastic cerebral palsy as well as other conditions in a baby, such as seizure disorders and hydrocephalus.
Does your child have cerebral palsy?
If your child has cerebral palsy, it may have been caused by a preventable birth injury. Call us today for a free consultation – we can review your child’s medical history and go over your legal options.
Types of Spastic Cerebral Palsy
- Spastic hemiplegia is when spastic cerebral palsy affects one side of the body. Generally, an injury to muscle-controlling nerves on one side of the brain causes a deficit on the opposite side of the body. People that have spastic hemiplegia are often more able to walk compared to people with other types of cerebral palsy. They generally have a limp or instability on the affected side. Ankle-foot orthotics can help prevent the instability.
- Spastic diplegia is when spastic cerebral palsy affects the lower extremities with little to no upper-body spasticity. Most people with spastic diplegia are able to walk, but their leg muscles are tight and they have a scissors gait. The knees and hips may remain flex to varying degrees. The limbs may move and stay close to the body due to an imbalance in muscle tightness. A gait analysis can determine which mobility aids and assistive devices are best for someone with spastic diplegia. They might use walkers, crutches, and canes to walk. Any ankle-foot orthotics go on both legs rather than just one. Over time, the effects of the spasticity sometimes cause hip problems and dislocations. Many people with spastic diplegia have nearsightedness or strabismus (being cross-eyed).
- Spastic monoplegia is when spastic cerebral palsy affects one limb.
- Spastic triplegia is when spastic cerebral palsy affects three limbs.
Therapy and Treatments for Spastic Cerebral Palsy
Spastic cerebral palsy can be helped by medical treatment pursued on a multitude of orthopedic and neurological fronts throughout life. In addition, surgery and many different types of therapy have been shown to help the symptoms of spastic cerebral palsy.
Physical therapy and occupational therapy are the primary ways to keep spastic cerebral palsy well managed. Therapy can include regimens of:
- assisted stretching
- strengthening
- functional tasks
- targeted physical activity and exercise
If the spasticity is too much for the person to handle, other remedies may be considered. Antispasmodic medications like Botox and baclofen can help spasticity. Neurosurgery, known as selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) eliminates the spasticity by eliminating the nerves causing it.
ABC Law Centers: Lawyers for Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy
ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers have been focusing solely on birth injury cases since 1997. Our firm handles cases involving hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and cerebral palsy. The attorneys with ABC Law Centers are dedicated to helping families navigate the difficult journey of a birth injury diagnosis.
We advocate for families to ensure your child has the best future possible despite mistakes or negligence from medical professionals. If your child was diagnosed with a birth injury (such as cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy), the award-winning attorneys at ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers can help.
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Dealing with a birth injury diagnosis can be difficult, but our attorneys can help. The ABC Law Centers: Birth Injury Lawyers team focuses exclusively on birth injury and are dedicated to earning justice for families like yours.