Hypertonic Cerebral Palsy
What Does It Mean For My Child?

Hypertonic cerebral palsy describes a cerebral palsy child with increased muscle tone. The child will seem very stiff or rigid.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Hypertonia is marked by an abnormal increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch. Hypertonia can be so severe that joint movement is not possible. Untreated hypertonia can lead to loss of function and deformity.

Spastic hypertonia involves uncontrollable muscle spasms, stiffening or straightening out of muscles, shock-like contractions of all or part of a group of muscles, and abnormal muscle tone.

Dystonic hypertonia refers to muscle resistance to passive stretching (in which a therapist gently stretches the inactive contracted muscle to a comfortable length at very low speeds of movement) and a tendency of a limb to return to a fixed involuntary (and sometimes abnormal) posture following movement.

Rigidity is an involuntary stiffening or straightening out of muscles, accompanied by abnormally increased muscle tone and the reduced ability of a muscle to stretch.

Suggested treatments from doctors of hypertonic cerebral palsy may include drugs, surgery, or injections. In our opinion, these treatments only mask the problem.

Hypertonia is a symptom of the brain damage to your child. If you treat the brain damage correctly, these symptoms can improve.

If your child has been diagnosed with hypertonic cerebral palsy, don't be overwhelmed.

There are parent-driven therapies that can help your child get better.

There is hope.

To learn more about Cerebral Palsy, please investigate the following links:

Click here for the Cerebral Palsy Guide

Click here for Cerebral Palsy Diagnosis

Click here for Cerebral Palsy Causes

Click here for Cerebral Palsy Symptoms

Click here for Cerebral Palsy Prognosis

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