Upper Extremity Function and Spastic Cerebral Palsy

A recent study looked at upper limb deformities, upper limb function and its relation to gross motor function. The researchers analyzed data from 234 children with spastic cerebral palsy. The results indicated the following:

• 70.5% had a limitation in forearm supination

• 62.8% had problems with wrist and finger extension in at least one limb

• Thumb-in-palm deformity of at least one hand was found in 47.0% of patients

• Swan neck deformity was the most common finger deformity

• "the degree of upper limb deformity was significantly related to the GMFCS level in children with bilateral CP, but not in children with unilateral CP"

• limitation in forearm supination was the most common in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Reference: Park ES, Sim EG, Rha DW. Effect of upper limb deformities on gross motor and upper limb functions in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Res Dev Disabil. 2011 Aug 5. [Epub ahead of print]

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