My two boys have had multiple lengthening surgeries (5). They have had the gastrocs and the hamstrings. I had asked my physiatrist about the SDR many years ago and she said that for mildly involved kids with spastic diplegia that it often is of less benefit. The reason she gave, was that they actually use their spasticity as a way to compensate. I always wanted to try it and see if we could achieve near normalcy. I called Dr. Parks in St. Louis and they were very encouraging and thought that we should make an appointment, but I was scared of the permanence part. I guess I'm still waiting for the miracle treatment out there. These are very tough decisions that your PT and her "typical" children will never have to make. I'd say to go with your gut after you get all of the info you can. My issue with the SDR literature is that they seem to only tell you about the really good outcomes. I'm sure that there are some "medium" outcomes as well. It might be worth it to get some benefit even if it's not perfect. As for the lengthening and weakness, I think that's true and I asked the ortho that did our lengthenings about weakness and he got pretty mad at me. He said it's true that the muscle will be weaker, but what good is a strong muscle with no range of motion. I guess that's a point, do you agree with that point Katherine?

Let us know what you decide...
Michelle