The Change of Intrinsic Stiffness in Gastrocnemius after Intensive Rehabilitation with Botulinum Toxin A Injection in Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy

A recent study claimed that botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injection into the calf muscle of cerebral palsy (CP) children did not change the intrinsic stiffness. Contrary to this recent report, in our case, decreased muscle spasticity, which was measured using a modified Ashworth scale, and increased Gross Motor Function Measure score were demonstrated at 4 weeks after intensive rehabilitation treatment (IRT) with BTX-A injection to the medial gastrocnemius muscle in a child with spastic CP. Additionally, we indentified decreased muscle stiffness which was demonstrated by a decrease in the color-coded scale and shear velocity, and an increase in the strain ratio using dynamic sonoelastography.