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Diplegic Cerebral Palsy - "Cerebral palsy affecting lower extremities"Diplegic cerebral palsy or diplegia is a type of cerebral palsy that primarily affects the legs. Most children suffering from cerebral palsy usually have some problem with their arms, but in case of children suffering from diplegia, the problems associated with the arms are less involved and less severe. Patients with diplegic cerebral palsy can also have vision and eye involvement. Diplegia is caused by damage to the frontal lobe of the brain.
Problems associated with
Diplegia:
Most children having diplegia have the problem of spasticity and also find it difficult to balance and coordinate. Also, delayed muscle growth and spasticity cause their leg muscles to be short thereby decreasing their ability to fully use their legs and feet as they grow up. Their joints also become stiff. More problems are presented by the feet and the ankles as compared to the knees due to the Achilles tendon becoming short and tight and leading to toe walking. There is also risk of the hips becoming dislocated. Due to this reason, the hips should be closely monitored to keep track of any deformities.
Degree of severity of disability:
There are three different classifications for the degree of severity of disability of children with diplegic cerebral palsy: mild, moderate and severe. A patient with mild diplegic cerebral palsy can walk without using aids. He also has a normal tolerance for walking and can keep up with non-disabled children of the similar age in activities that involve walking. A patient with moderate diplegic cerebral palsy has the ability to walk for most daily activities but at times may need to use an aid such as crutches or a walker. As far as lengthy walking is concerned such as walking in a zoo, an amusement park or a shopping mall, the patient with moderate involvement would need the use of a wheelchair. A patient with severe diplegic cerebral palsy would need an aid for even walking small distances and will prefer walking only on level ground in open areas. Such a patient will need a wheelchair for getting around in public.
Diplegic cerebral palsy, like other types of cerebral palsy is hard to detect at an early stage. Some warning signs of diplegia include stiff legs that are hard to move. There may be floppiness of the arms and legs but they may turn stiff later. No tests or scans can detect cerebral palsy, rather the diagnosis is based on motor movement.
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