Spastic cerebral palsy

Spastic cerebral palsy is the type of cerebral palsy wherein spasticity is the exclusive impairment present. Itself an umbrella term encompassing spastic hemiplegia, spastic diplegia, spastic quadriplegia and — where solely one limb or one specific area of the body is affected— spastic monoplegia. Spastic cerebral palsy affects the cerebral cortex and is overwhelmingly the most common type of overall cerebral palsy. Spastic cerebral palsy is the type of cerebral palsy wherein spasticity is the exclusive impairment present. Itself an umbrella term encompassing spastic hemiplegia, spastic diplegia, spastic quadriplegia and — where solely one limb or one specific area of the body is affected— spastic monoplegia. Spastic cerebral palsy affects the cerebral cortex and is overwhelmingly the most common type of overall cerebral palsy. The Society for Cerebral Palsy in Europe (SCPE) estimates that the spasticity-only cerebral palsy classification sweeps in 90% of global cerebral palsy cases. But even if the 90% assertion is an exaggeration, more conservative scientific estimates still place the prevalence of spasticity-dominant or spasticity-only cerebral palsy at anywhere from 70–80% of all cases, leaving cases dominated by ataxic cerebral palsy, dyskinetic cerebral palsy and athetoid cerebral palsy trailing at 20–30%. People with the spastic/spasticity type of CP are hypertonic—i.e., they present with very stiff and tight muscle groups, far greater than typical humans—and have what is essentially a neuromuscular mobility impairment (rather than hypotonia or paralysis) which stems from an upper motor neuron lesion in the brain. The corticospinal tract or the motor cortex are the most common locations of lesions. Spastic muscles are continuously contracting, or 'tight', because the corresponding nerves permanently over-fire the command to tighten. This is caused by their inability to properly absorb GABA, or gamma amino butyric acid. The tightness, in addition to restricting movement, also acts as an overwhelming opposing force to neighbouring muscles and joints, eventually leaving the entire skeleton deformed. Ankle equines and hip migration are the two most prevalent deformities in children with cerebral palsy. , Abnormal postures or deformities are usually associated with the antigravity muscles, which are extensors in the leg and the flexors in the arm. At the beginning these deformities are dynamic in nature but over time they become static or fixed also known as joint contractures. This is especially true if physiotherapy is not instituted in a timely and adequate fashion. , ,