Diplegia is a type of quadriplegia (or tetraplegia) where all arms and legs are involved, although the legs are more affected than the arms. It is most typically found in people with cerebral palsy, when it is often referred to as spastic diplegia (The Spastic Centre 2007).
Symptoms and characteristics
Spastic diplegia is characterised by high muscle tone (hypertonicity—muscles tight, rigid and can tremor), particularly in the legs. The arms are usually only mildly affected. The person often demonstrates loss of coordination, resulting in jerky, awkward movement patterns (Rab 2006).
The majority of people with spastic diplegia can walk although they typically use a crouching type walk, bent at the knees due to muscle tone (Rab 2006).
Spastic diplegia can occasionally result in intellectual impairment, although this is uncommon (Rab 2006).
Statistics
Diplegia accounts for 30 per cent of all cerebral palsy cases (Cerebral Palsy Institute 2006).
Workplace solutions and adjustments
There are solutions and adjustments for the following job requirements:
References
Cerebral Palsy Institute 2006, Research and Education News, Number 2, Cerebral Palsy Institute, Sydney, viewed 1 March 2007, <http://www.cpinstitute.com.au/news/newsletter-2-2006.pdf>.
Rab, G 2006, Current Orthopaedics, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Columbus, viewed 1 March 2007, <http://www.accessmedicine.com>.
The Spastic Centre 2007, About CP: What is Cerebral Palsy?, The Spastic Centre, Sydney, viewed 1 March 2007, <http://www.thespasticcentre.org.au/about_cp/what_is_cp.htm>.