Definition of diplegia
Diplegia
Diplegia, when used singularly, refers to paralysis affecting symmetrical parts of the body. This is different from hemiplegia which refers to spasticity restricted to one side of the body, and quadriplegia which requires the involvement of all four limbs but not necessarily symmetrical. Diplegia is the most common cause of crippling in children, specifically in children with cerebral palsy. Other causes m…
What is the meaning of diplegia?
Definition of diplegia : paralysis of corresponding parts on both sides of the body : paralysis of corresponding parts (as the legs) on both sides of the body
What is an example of spastic diplegia?
Recent Examples on the Web Spastic diplegia primarily involves the legs, often causing stiff hip and leg muscles. — Lauren Sieben, SELF, 22 Mar. 2022 She was diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy at age 1, according to the family's YouCaring page.
What is the treatment for diplegia in the legs?
People with severe diplegia usually need crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to be able to get around. Children with diplegia in the legs have a delayed growth in their leg muscles which causes the muscles to be short.
How does diplegia affect a child’s development?
Children with diplegia in the legs have a delayed growth in their leg muscles which causes the muscles to be short. This then causes the joints to become stiff and the range of motion to decrease as the child grows. “For the majority of children with diplegia, growth and development are not a problem.
What does Diplegic cerebral palsy mean?
Sometimes called spastic diplegia, diplegic cerebral palsy is a version of the disability that is characterized by frequent spasms and muscle tensing. A person with this disorder tends to feel the tension most in their legs.
What is meant by diplegia?
Medical Definition of diplegia : paralysis of corresponding parts (as the legs) on both sides of the body.
Is diplegia paralyzed?
Diplegia refers to symmetrical paralysis, usually affecting either the arms or the legs. It's the most common cause of paralysis in children, but can affect people of any age. Unlike other forms of paralysis, diplegia is highly unpredictable, and may get better, worse, or radically change with time.
What are the symptoms of diplegia?
What Are the Symptoms of Spastic Diplegia? This makes crawling and walking difficult, and most often, children will walk on their toes or with a wide “scissor-like gait.” Legs can also turn inwards and cross at the knees due to excessive muscle contractions. Other children may not be able to walk at all.
What is a Diplegic gait?
The jump gait pattern is very commonly seen in children with diplegia, who have more proximal involvement, with spasticity of the hamstrings and hip flexors in addition to calf spasticity. The ankle is in equinus, the knee and hip are in flexion, there is an anterior pelvic tilt and an increased lumbar lordosis.
What is mild diplegia?
Diplegia of the legs consists of paralysis of both legs. There are 3 levels of severity. Mild diplegia means the person can usually walk but might walk a little differently, can usually play and run to a limited extent. Moderate diplegia means the person can usually walk but with a slight bend in the knees.
Can you walk with diplegia?
Most children with diplegia are eventually able to walk, although many start walking late. Diplegia, like other forms of cerebral palsy, is difficult to detect early on. Warning signs may include stiff lower extremities or floppiness of the limbs that become stiff later on.
What limbs are affected with diplegia?
Diplegia (dy-PLEE-juh) is a form of paralysis that affects similar body parts on both sides of the body, such as both legs or both arms.
Can people with spastic diplegia walk?
Most individuals with spastic diplegia have normal cognitive abilities and can walk independently. However, some individuals may experience more severe motor impairments and may be dependent on an assistive mobility device such as a crutch, wheelchair, or walker.
Is spastic diplegia a disability?
Disease at a Glance Severe intellectual disability-progressive spastic diplegia syndrome is a rare condition that has been described in a few people with severe intellectual disability .
Is spastic diplegia painful?
Some children may experience little to no pain, whereas others may require medical treatment to manage painful symptoms. According to a 2020 study from BMC Neurology involving 3,545 children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, 42.5% of patients reported experiencing some type of pain.
What are 3 early signs of cerebral palsy?
Possible signs in a child include:delays in reaching development milestones – for example, not sitting by 8 months or not walking by 18 months.seeming too stiff or too floppy (hypotonia)weak arms or legs.fidgety, jerky or clumsy movements.random, uncontrolled movements.muscle spasms.shaking hands (tremors)More items...
What does Triplegia mean?
Medical Definition of triplegia : hemiplegia plus paralysis of a limb on the opposite side.
What does Athetoid mean?
Athetosis refers to the slow, involuntary, and writhing movements of the limbs, face, neck, tongue, and other muscle groups. The fingers are also affected, with their flexing happening separately and irregularly. The hands move, and the toes and feet may also experience the effect.
What is a spastic?
spastic. / (ˈspæstɪk, spæsˈtɪsɪtɪ) / noun. an old-fashioned and now offensive name for a person who has cerebral palsy. taboo, slang a clumsy, incapable, or incompetent person.
What does the medical term paraplegia mean?
Paralysis of the lower half of your body, including both legs, is called paraplegia. Paralysis of the arms and legs is quadriplegia. Most paralysis is due to strokes or injuries such as spinal cord injury or a broken neck. Other causes of paralysis include: Nerve diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
What is facial diplegia?
Facial diplegia refers to people with paralysis of both sides of their face. Bilateral occurs when the onset of the second side occurs within one month of the onset of the first side. Facial diplegia occurs in 50% of patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy ...
When was diplegia first used?
In 1955 the word diplegia was used in the clinical field to describe a patient whose limbs were affected in a symmetrical way. This included limbs on the same side of the body thus including hemiplegia. Later in 1956 diplegia was presented as a form of bilateral cerebral palsy affecting like parts on either side of the body.
Why do children get crippled?
Diplegia is the most common cause of crippling in children, specifically in children with cerebral palsy. Other causes may be due to injury of the spinal cord. There is no set course of progression for people with diplegia. Symptoms may get worse but the neurological part does not change.
Why do children with diplegia have short legs?
Children with diplegia in the legs have a delayed growth in their leg muscles which causes the muscles to be short. This then causes the joints to become stiff and the range of motion to decrease as the child grows. “For the majority of children with diplegia, growth and development are not a problem.
What is the difference between mild and moderate diplegia?
There are 3 levels of severity. Mild diplegia means the person can usually walk but might walk a little differently, can usually play and run to a limited extent. Moderate diplegia means the person can usually walk but with a slight bend in the knees. They usually can't run and have to use the handrails to go up and down steps. People with severe diplegia usually need crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to be able to get around.
What causes facial paralysis?
Causes. Facial paralysis is usually caused by traumatic, infectious, neurological, metabolic, toxic, vascular, and idiopathic conditions. While over 50% of the cases of unilateral facial paralysis are caused by idiopathic conditions, less than 20% of bilateral cases are idiopathic. The most common infectious cause of facial diplegia is Lyme disease.
Why can't my child walk with diplegia?
A child using a walking aid for mobility to move around with the other children is not a bad thing. If a child is not walking yet, then this is usually caused by a problem in balance, muscle coordination, spasticity, or leg alignment. Each of these reasons should be looked into closely so the problem can be addressed and fixed.
What is spastic diplegia?
— Sarah Klein, Health.com, 6 July 2018 Maya was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, which is a type of cerebral palsy that causes the muscles in the hips, legs and feet to be tight or spastic. — Deasia Paige, Detroit Free Press, 6 July 2018
What is the medical term for paralysis of the legs?
Medical Definition of diplegia. : paralysis of corresponding parts (as the legs) on both sides of the body.
Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
Diplegic cerebral palsy is one of the most-common types of CP, and manifests itself in weakness (diparesis) or complete impairment (diplegia) of two symmetrically-opposed parts of the body — usually both legs.
Treatment Options
Since diplegic cerebral palsy affects the muscles, it can be a painful ordeal for your child to have to put up with on a daily basis. Physical therapy as well as regular massage therapy can help relax these muscles so your child’s pain can be alleviated.
What is the difference between cerebral and diplegic?
Diplegic/diplegia: describes the limbs involved, specifically the lower limbs. Cerebral: to do with the brain; referring to the brain damage or abnormality underlying this condition. Palsy: refers to muscle weakness or paralysis.
What is a spastic diplegia?
What Is Spastic Diplegia? Spastic cerebral palsy is the most common form of cerebral palsy (CP), comprising approximately 80 percent of all cases. Spastic CP typically involves increased muscle tone and difficult or unusual movements. Spastic diplegia (or diparesis) is a subtype of spastic cerebral palsy in which the legs are ...
How does spastic diplegia differ from other forms of cerebral palsy?
Although the signs and symptoms of spastic diplegia overlap with other forms of cerebral palsy, the following characteristics are especially common with this subtype:
What are the causes and risk factors for spastic diplegia?
As with other forms of cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia is caused by brain abnormalities or damage. In many cases, it stems from brain damage that occurs during or around the time of birth, i.e. a birth injury. Birth injuries do not necessarily have to involve blunt force trauma; rather, the term refers to many different sorts of harm to a baby around the time of birth, including issues like oxygen deprivation and infection. The following are some examples of medical issues and birth injuries that are associated with spastic diplegia (2, 3):
What are the signs and symptoms of spastic diplegia?
Spastic diplegia tends to primarily affect the lower limbs. However, more severe cases can involve impairment of the upper limbs and other complications. Although the manifestations of this condition vary widely between individuals, signs and symptoms of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy may include (2, 4):
What is the treatment for spastic diplegia?
Among other things, treatment for spastic diplegia may include (2, 4, 5): Medications such as botulinum toxin (Botox) and Baclofen. In addition to these treatment options, children with spastic diplegia may benefit from mobility equipment and other forms of assistive technology.
What are some examples of medical issues and birth injuries that are associated with spastic diplegia?
The following are some examples of medical issues and birth injuries that are associated with spastic diplegia (2, 3): Preterm delivery (premature babies often have a low birth weight and fragile/easily-injured brains) Twin/multiples birth. Low Apgar score. Birth asphyxia (oxygen deprivation), which can lead to a form of brain damage known as ...
Neuropathic Gait
Seen in patients with foot drop (weakness of foot dorsiflexion), the cause of this gait is due to an attempt to lift the leg high enough during walking so that the foot does not drag on the floor. If unilateral, causes include peroneal nerve palsy and L5 radiculopathy.
Myopathic Gait
Hip girdle muscles are responsible for keeping the pelvis level when walking. If you have weakness on one side, this will lead to a drop in the pelvis on the contralateral side of the pelvis while walking (Trendelenburg sign). With bilateral weakness, you will have dropping of the pelvis on both sides during walking leading to waddling.
Choreiform Gait
This gait is seen with certain basal ganglia disorders including Sydenham's chorea, Huntington's Disease and other forms of chorea, athetosis or dystonia. The patient will display irregular, jerky, involuntary movements in all extremities. Walking may accentuate their baseline movement disorder.
Ataxic Gait
Most commonly seen in cerebellar disease, this gait is described as clumsy, staggering movements with a wide-based gait. While standing still, the patient's body may swagger back and forth and from side to side, known as titubation. Patients will not be able to walk from heel to toe or in a straight line.
Overview
Diplegia, when used singularly, refers to paralysis affecting symmetrical parts of the body. This is different from hemiplegia which refers to spasticity restricted to one side of the body, paraplegia which refers to paralysis restricted to the legs and hip, and quadriplegia which requires the involvement of all four limbs but not necessarily symmetrical. Diplegia is the most common cause of crippling in children, specifically in children with cerebral palsy. Other causes may be due to inj…
Facial diplegia
Facial diplegia refers to people with paralysis of both sides of their face. Bilateral occurs when the onset of the second side occurs within one month of the onset of the first side. Facial diplegia occurs in 50% of patients with Guillain–Barré syndrome. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is the second most common adult-onset muscular dystrophy with facial weakness being a distinct feature of FSHD in over 90% of cases.
Diplegia of the arms
People with diplegia in their arms experience difficulties in reaching, pointing, grasping, releasing, manipulating objects and many other motor functions performed by the hands and arms.
There are several ways of getting diplegia in the arms. It is very common for people with cerebral palsy to have diplegia of the arms. Although most people with cerebral palsy have diplegia in their legs, some people have diplegia in their arms. Other ways of getting paralysis of both arms is thr…
Diplegia in the legs
Diplegia of the legs consists of paralysis of both legs. There are 3 levels of severity. Mild diplegia means the person can usually walk but might walk a little differently, can usually play and run to a limited extent. Moderate diplegia means the person can usually walk but with a slight bend in the knees. They usually can't run and have to use the handrails to go up and down steps. People with severe diplegia usually need crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair to be able to get around.
History of the term diplegia
In 1890 Sachs and Peterson first referenced to the term diplegia, along with the word paraplegia, for their cerebral palsy classification. In 1955 the word diplegia was used in the clinical field to describe a patient whose limbs were affected in a symmetrical way. This included limbs on the same side of the body thus including hemiplegia. Later in 1956 diplegia was presented as a form of bilateral cerebral palsy affecting like parts on either side of the body. In 1965 Milani Comparet…