Preface
This book is an English version of my books titled "Cerebral
Palsy and Orthopaedics" published in 1991 and " Orthopaedic
Treatment of Cerebral Palsy" published in 1998 in Japanese. Many
orthopaedic surgeons have understood the idea of orthopaedic
selective spasticity-control surgery through these books and accepted
the idea as an useful and effective concept with promising results.
These books and another titled " Cerebral Palsy and Therapeutic
Management" are now widely read as textbooks on orthopaedic and
therapeutic management of cerebral palsy in Japan. Many orthopaedic
surgeons in Japan involved in orthopaedic treatment of cerebral palsy
supported our idea and practice. Orthopaedic surgeons from China,
France, India, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Thailand, Turkey and
United States have also visited us during the last 10 years. In this
regard, doctors from overseas requested me to publish these books in
an international language. The result is this book. In spite of a
language barrier and ignorance about overseas publishers,
perseverance of my overseas colleagues who were convinced by this
concept helped me in publication of this book.
@@Recently, in the treatment of cerebral palsy and control of spasticity
has become an urgent task for personnel involved. Many approaches for
control of spasticity have been advocated. However, as I have mentioned
in the clause on review of "current treatment of spasticity", control of
spasticity is not so easy and at times seems impossible, if it is
attempted without sacrificing body stability and other serious
drawbacks such as sensory disturbance. If it is carried out without
considering about antigravity stability and sensory problems,
drawbacks such as sacrifice of stability and sensory disturbance are
likely to occur. Other safer spasticity-control approaches need to be
considered. That is why I am publishing this book in English, which
will describe all about orthopaedic selective spasticity-control surgery
in detail, as a spasticity-control surgery without these drawbacks.
Orthopaedic Selective Spasticity-Control Surgery (OSSCS) is an
orthopaedic procedure designed to control or reduce hypertonicity in
cerebral palsy. Various types and severity of hypertonicity can be
appropriately controlled, by the use of selective muscle release
surgery. This spasticity control surgery not only corrects deformities
such as shoulder retraction, elbow deformity, scoliosis, flexion
deformity of the hip, knee and ankle-foot, but also promises better
hand and finger skills and reach movements of the upper extremity,
stabilizes the trunk and lower extremities and relieves the
hypertonicity in cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine. It also facilitates
respiration and speech while lessening drooling remarkably. By
combining the spasticity-control surgery with conventional
orthopaedic surgery, such as open reduction, derotation varus
osteotomy and pelvic osteotomy for dislocation of the hip,
arthrodesis of the wrist and ankle, and anterior fusion of cervical and
thoraco-lumbar spine, we can deal with a wide range of problems in
motor activities and activities of daily living with encouraging results
while providing a new path for functional improvement and for active
life styles in most patients with cerebral palsy. Furthermore,
orthopaedic selective spasticity-control surgery can provide us with an
opportunity to assist physiotherapy and occupational therapy by
controlling hypertonicity in the whole body while making it easy to
facilitate basic motor functions such as rolling, crawling, sitting,
kneeling, standing and independent gait.
Fundamentals of the OSSCS are clear and uncomplicated and
are based on the physical and biological findings that can be
understood by any scientist. As is discussed later, we distinguished
muscles of the vertebrate body into two groups: the multiarticular
muscle group and the monoarticular muscle group. We clinically and
electromyographically defined the multiarticular muscles as
hypertonic in cerebral palsy and have controlled hypertonicity by
releasing them selectively. The monoarticular muscles that are
responsible to keep the body upright are carefully preserved and their
activity is facilitated.
The most important aspect of our surgery is that postoperatively
no decrease in motor functions is observed. Postoperative weakness
of the muscle is avoided by carefully preserving the monoarticular
muscles that act as antigravity muscles. We can now conduct various
kinds of surgical procedures without any complications. There is no
loss of sensation and stereognosis, no increase in occurrence of
dislocation and deformities and also no muscle weakness.
Orthopaedic selective spasticity-control surgery is quite a reliable and
promising procedure for patients, parents, physiotherapists and
occupational therapists and even for school teachers.
Another important aspect of our surgery is that its indications for
surgery are wide. The hypertonicity in the whole body can be relieved.
Hypertonicity of the neck, trunk, shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist,
thumb, fingers, hip, knee and ankle-feet can all be relieved
appropriately, with the same generalized idea. All kinds of
hypertonicity such as spasticity, rigo-spasticity, and athetosis could
be suitable candidates for surgery. Even for mentally handicapped
children, emotionally disturbed children, and even totally involved
cerebral palsy patients with abnormal postural reflexes, functional
improvement could be promising with orthopaedic selective
spasticity-control surgery. All patients with cerebral palsy can be
treated with successful results while enriching their quality of life if
they have suffered from some kind of hypertonicity.
However, the decision making and treatment techniques are
demanding. In order to achieve successful results, orthopaedic
techniques should be skillfully conducted since we are going to
correct the complex motor disorders, which have not responded to
other procedures. Which muscles should be released? Which end
should be released, proximal or distal? What kind of release should be
done? Intramuscular lengthening? Sliding lengthening? or Z
lengthening? Tenotomy or detachment? How much and how long
these lengthening should be done? Which kinds of conventional
orthopaedic surgeries should be combined? All these questions and
problems have to be managed appropriately. Even in treatment of
dislocation of the hip, the approach is totally different from the
ordinary procedure. Standard procedures such as division of the
adductor longus do not bring excellent result. If adductor tenotomy is
carried out too aggressively, dislocation may be reduced; however,
functional disadvantages will be caused because of loss of antigravity
activity of the adductors. In OSSCS, an elaborate surgery that preserves
the antigravity adductors is advocated even for reduction of the
dislocated hip. Profound understanding of the motor functional
characteristics in cerebral palsy and its relation to the basic motor
development is also necessary.
When the orthopaedic surgeon applies the principles of OSSCS
accurately and applies it properly in his orthopaedic surgery, he will
be able to promise definite improvements for cerebral palsy patients.
Here, we would like to present ideas and techniques of the
"Orthopaedic Selective Spasticity-Control Surgery" and show how these
approaches can be used in treatment of cerebral palsy.
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