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With spastic cerebral palsy, the area of the brain controlling movement is affected. Spasticity means stiffness or tightness of muscles. The muscles are stiff because the message to the muscles is relayed incorrectly through the damaged part of the brain. When people without cerebral palsy perform a movement, some group of muscles become tighter and some groups of muscles relax. In children with spastic cerebral palsy, both groups of muscles may become tighter; this makes the movement difficult.
Cerebral palsy, particularly spastic cerebral palsy, is also classified according to the number of limbs involved. One side of the brain controls the opposite side of the body so that when one side of the brain is affected, the other side of the body is weak.
Spastic cerebral palsy is often sub-classified as one of five types that describe the affected limbs.
- Diplegia
– either both arms or both legs, most commonly affects the legs
- Hemiplegia or Hemiparesis
– limbs on only one side of the body are affected
- Quadriplegia or Quadriparesis
– all four limbs are affected
- Monoplegia
– one limb is affected (extremely rare)
- Triplegia
– three limbs are affected (extremely rare)
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