Spastic diplegia, historically known as
Little's Disease, is a form of
cerebral palsy (CP) that is a
chronic neuromuscular condition of
hypertonia and
spasticity — manifested as an especially high and constant "tightness" or "stiffness" — in the muscles of the lower extremities of the human body, usually those of the
legs,
hips and
pelvis. Doctor
William John Little's first recorded encounter with cerebral palsy is reported to have been among children who displayed signs of spastic diplegia.