Short Article
Ketan Bhatikar
Abstract
Cerebral palsy describes a group of chronic disorders that affect a person's ability to control body movement and posture, occurring in two to six cases in 1000 births. There are many types of cerebral palsy, of which spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form and is the type seen in 75 to 80 percent of cases. Spasticity is a common symptom seen after upper motor neuron syndrome. Spasticity due to neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy results from a significant increase in muscle tone and muscle tightness, limiting movement and joint mobility. Tight muscles cause a decrease in range of motion and limited joint mobility. This leads to an abnormal gait commonly observed as scissors, with 1 foot crossing in front of the other at each step. There are different physical therapies and modalities used in the treatment of muscle tightness caused by cerebral palsy, but have not yielded satisfactory results. The tightness of the bilateral adductors also influences the calf muscle, pulling the toes toward the ground and lifting the heel from the affected floor. The most commonly used techniques are passive stretching. Passive stretching uses an external force applied by the therapist to stretch the tense muscles. It shouldn't be painful, and excessive stretching can cause muscle damage. This stretching position is maintained for about 30 seconds and repeated several times to maintain the length.