In many people’s minds, cerebral palsy is equated with intellectual disability. In reality, however, only some children with cerebral palsy have intellectual disability; many others present with central motor impairment and postural abnormalities. Xiao Pu (pseudonym), 15, is just such a child: he has spastic cerebral palsy and normal intelligence, but cannot walk normally. Recently, Xiao Pu underwent surgery at the Pediatric Neuromedicine Center of Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital. After more than a month of postoperative rehabilitation training, his walking posture has improved markedly, and he has finally realized his dream of “walking normally.”

Excessively High Muscle Tone in Both Lower Limbs Prevented Normal Walking

Xiao Pu comes from Shangqiu, Henan. He developed cerebral palsy due to hypoxia at birth. At age 4, he was still unable to walk independently and had severe symptoms such as increased lower limb muscle tone, toe-standing, and abnormal gait.

“He had spastic cerebral palsy caused by hypoxia at birth and was not diagnosed until he was 1 year old. He was never able to walk normally. At age 4, he underwent Achilles tendon surgery at a local hospital, after which he could barely walk, but he could not walk far or fast,” Xiao Pu’s sister told reporters. In recent years, his condition had become increasingly severe. He could not straighten his legs. When walking, his toes scraped the ground, and his gait became increasingly deformed. His shoes wore out quickly, and he fell frequently. Xiao Pu was also unwilling to go out, which made him more introverted and affected his studies.

Finding the “Culprit” to Resolve 15 Years of Walking Difficulties

On a friend’s recommendation, not long ago, his sister brought Xiao Pu all the way from Henan to Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital for treatment. Xu Chunwang, Director of the Pediatric Neuromedicine Center, said after seeing the patient that the child’s inability to walk normally was mainly due to impaired central nervous system control over the limb muscles, caused by abnormal feedback from the nerves responsible for the related commands. As long as the responsible nerves are identified and partially severed, the spasticity can be effectively improved. This technique is called selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR).

▲In Surgery

After accurate preoperative assessment, Xiao Pu met the surgical indications. Subsequently, the expert team at the Brain Center successfully performed selective posterior rhizotomy (SPR) for Xiao Pu. During surgery, doctors identified the nerves causing spasticity in both lower limbs under a microscope and, based on the response of each small nerve bundle to electrical stimulation, selected abnormally responsive nerves for partial severing. After surgery, Xiao Pu was finally able to straighten his legs, and his muscle tone decreased significantly.

▲Xiao Pu practices walking after surgery

After a period of rehabilitation training, Xiao Pu has been able to walk independently. His toes no longer drag on the ground when he walks, and his gait has improved. Xiao Pu said happily, “Now I can finally walk with my feet flat on the ground, and my legs no longer feel so heavy when I walk.”

Cerebral Palsy Treatment: Seize the “Golden Window for Intervention”

At Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Hospital, there are many other children like Xiao Pu who have achieved “normal walking” through SPR technology. According to Xu Chunwang, spastic cerebral palsy is one of the most common types of cerebral palsy in clinical practice. It mainly presents as high muscle tone in the limbs. The upper limbs may assume abnormal postures such as wrist flexion, clenched fingers, and elbow flexion, while the lower limbs may assume abnormal postures such as thigh adduction, knee flexion, and toe-standing. In treating cerebral palsy, it is important to seize the “golden window for intervention.” Early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment are key, and surgery performed before age 3 yields better results.

▲医生术后查房。

In clinical practice, many children with spastic cerebral palsy and normal intelligence miss the optimal window for rehabilitation because their families lack awareness that cerebral palsy can be treated surgically and do not receive comprehensive disease management. To address this, the hospital pioneered an integrated, stepwise MDT model combining surgery and rehabilitation. It integrates multidisciplinary resources from neurosurgery, rehabilitation medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, psychology, and other fields to establish full-process closed-loop management covering “assessment–surgery–rehabilitation–follow-up.” Through precise surgical intervention to reduce muscle tone and concurrent personalized rehabilitation training, it maximizes the recovery of children’s motor function and daily living ability.

At present, the Pediatric Neuromedicine Center has treated more than 6,000 children with cerebral palsy and completed nearly 10,000 surgeries. Many children have gone from being unable to lift their heads or stand to achieving independent walking and verbal communication, significantly improving their quality of life.

Original link:https://site.szplus.com/content/s67fa4bf1e4b0a181ee162e33.html