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Diplegia is a type of cerebral palsy that affects the arms or legs, causing stiffness and difficulty coordinating movements. It is usually detected in childhood and can vary in severity. There is no known cure, but physical therapy and Botox injections can help manage symptoms. Risk factors include infections, seizures, and oxygen deprivation during birth.
Cerebral palsy refers to a group of conditions that result from damage to areas of the brain that control and coordinate muscle movement. Under normal conditions, muscles work together in one fluid motion, and then adjacent muscles contract or relax to match the motion. This process is disrupted in cerebral palsy, resulting in muscles that are unusually tense and contracted all the time. Diplegia is a type of cerebral palsy that involves the arms or legs, but most commonly affects the legs.
Diplegia is detected in childhood. Affected limbs may feel unusually flaccid when the child is very young, but eventually become very stiff. Children with this condition usually show unusual stiffness in major joints in affected limbs, such as the hips or shoulders. Because of the typically tight, cramped appearance of the affected limbs, diplegia is sometimes referred to as spastic diplegia.
Like most cases of cerebral palsy, diplegia can vary in severity. Children with mild cases often have the ability to be nearly as active as their unaffected peers. However, they often exhibit balance problems and some level of stiffness in their limbs and may have difficulty coordinating their movements.
Moderately affected children usually show more stiffness and less joint mobility than mildly affected children. They can usually walk and do not require a wheelchair, but often have a characteristic stiff-legged gait and may tend to walk on their toes due to stiff leg muscles. Severely affected children often have difficulty walking even small distances and usually need a wheelchair for daily activities. All children with diplegia may have some degree of difficulty speaking.
There is no single known cause for this condition and other types of cerebral palsy, but certain factors appear to increase the risk of a baby being born with this condition. Newborns who developed infections in the hospital are at a higher risk of developing diplegia, as are babies who experienced seizures shortly after birth. Cesarean delivery, the use of forceps during delivery, and premature birth are all possible risk factors. Any incidence of oxygen deprivation in the fetus is also a risk factor. There are clearly other unknown factors involved in the onset of this condition, however, because many children experience these risk factors and never develop this condition.
No cure is known for this condition. There are several treatments, however, that make it easier to deal with. The most common is physical therapy, which can include exercises to help your child better control his muscles and stretches to improve mobility. Gait analysis allows for the identification of specific factors influencing a child’s gait pattern, and targeted training can lead to improved movement.
The neurotoxin Botox®, produced by a species of bacteria, has the ability to paralyze muscles. It is often used as an anti-aging remedy and for this purpose small amounts are injected into the skin of the face to soften wrinkles. A doctor can help relax the muscles of people with diplegia by injecting a small amount of Botox® into the affected muscle areas.
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