Hemiplegia

The vast majority children with Hemiplegia (one side of body involved) are of normal intelligence and will attend mainstream school. Most are independently mobile.

The distal part of the arm and leg tends to be more affected. Children will often walk on tip toe because the calf muscle tightens. The hamstrings can sometimes make it difficult to get the knee straight and the leg may start to turn inwards.

Stretching exercises are very important to prevent the muscles from contracting. Ankle splints (Ankle Foot Orthosis – AFO) can be worn inside shoes and will enable children to walk with a more normal heel strike. Botox injections transiently reduce muscle tone and have been shown to help reduce the incidence of contractures particularly around the ankle.

Surgery may be indicated in some children for leg (and rarely arm/hand). This is mostly tendon lengthening or tendon transfers. The decision regarding surgery may be aided by gait analysis.