spastic diplegia

ericpariz75

I have been followed by an orthopedist since the age of 2

I had surgery at the age of 9 on my right foot

He pulled my achile tendon so I could put my foot on the floor

But, he couldn't do much to my left arm which is bent 15 degrees and it is shorter than my right arm.

He checks my posture and my walking

He looked at my legs, all my muscles

I have not been followed by my orthopedic surgeon since the age of 13

 

I have problems with my legs because the tendons are very short at the knees.

Additionally, I believe that the head of my left femur is not normally positioned well in my hip.

I tend to often have pain on the left side of my leg at the hip level.

Because my femur on the right side is about 2 centimeters longer than the one on the left.

I would like to know if it is important to have an orthopedic assessment despite my age

I am 49 years old

Also, I would like to know why I always have pain in my left side hip.

Is this normal in a person with cerebral palsy like spastic diplegia?

Richard_Scope

Hi @ericpariz75

The ageing process for people with CP starts earlier than for those without CP. As people with CP move through adulthood, they will experience premature or accelerated ageing because of the primary motor control impairments which reduce gait and movement efficiency, leading to overuse of muscles, increasing the expenditure of energy and causing fatigue. Research has suggested that adults with CP experience pain as they age due to how they perform an activity and routine movements. The research suggests that the painful experiences are often related to soft tissue injuries in muscles, tendons, ligaments or nerves.  
 
From reading your post it sounds to me that you may have Post Impairment Syndrome. The syndrome is fairly common among adults with CP. I would strongly suggest that you speak to your G.P. about this and ask for a referral to a neuro-physiotherapist. We have a really insightful piece about Post Impairment Syndrome, written by Ruth Murran. What Post-Impairment Syndrome has meant for Me and we have the Things You Have Found Useful for Managing Your CP thread that has lots of tips from people with lived experience. 
 
There are things that you can do to help manage the changes in your mobility and pain. It sounds counter-intuitive, but exercise is very beneficial. Especially, low impact exercise like swimming. Any kind of movement at whatever level you can manage. 
 
You are most certainly not alone in this. If you would like to talk more, drop me an email or find me in the community.