Spastic diplegia

Spastic diplegia is a form of cerebral palsy (CP) that primarily affects the legs, with possible considerable asymmetry between the two sides. It is a chronic neuromuscular condition of hypertonia and spasticity in the muscles of the lower extremities of the human body, manifested as an especially high and constant "tightness" or "stiffness", usually in the legs, hips and pelvis.

As its name suggests, spasticity is a particularly prominent element of this condition. The tension in the spastic muscles during development often leads to bony deformities, especially torsion, or twisting, of the femur (femoral anteversion) and the tibia (external tibial torsion).

Doctor William John Little's first recorded encounter with cerebral palsy is reported to have been among children who displayed signs of spastic diplegia.