<<
>>

Sensory Impairments

CP is defined as a disorder of movement control and posture, and therefore sensory impairments are eas­ily overlooked. Deficits in two-point discrimination, proprioception, and stereognosis have been described (38-40).

Sensory deficits are believed to be most com­mon in children with hemiparesis. A study of children with spastic hemiparesis found that 97% of the spastic limbs had a stereognosis deficit, 90% had a two-point discrimination deficit, and 46% had a proprioception deficit, and these sensory deficits were more commonly present in limbs with a greater size discrepancy (38). Sensory deficits can also be found in the limbs that do not appear to be affected by CP. Bilateral sensory deficits were found in 88.8% of children with hemipa­resis in one study (39). Stereognosis and propriocep­tion were the most common bilateral abnormalities, and the extent of sensory loss did not mirror the motor deficit. Another study identified abnormalities of tac­tile spatial discrimination in the hands of children with spastic diparesis with apparent normal motor function in their upper extremities (40). Sensory defi­cits are important to recognize because they can sig­nificantly affect functional use of the extremity.

<< | >>
Source: Alexander M.A., Matthews D.J.. Pediatric Rehabilitation: Principles and Practice. 4 th. åd. — New York: Demos Medical Publishing,2010. — 540 ð.. 2010
More medical literature on Medic.Studio

More on the topic Sensory Impairments: