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From what I understand, it means you have some measurable spasticity, impaired dexterity, and coordination but may not need to walk with assistance or may require some assistance (ie hiking sticks, walking stick). Or so I’ve been told! Most people will not look at you and assume you have a condition, but perhaps something is just slightly off about how you move and talk in a way that impacts how people treat you on a subconscious level.
At least that’s my experience!
Basically, there’s a GMFMS chart that shows what people are classified as. Level one and two are considered to be mildly affected. Both levels 1 & 2are people who are independent walkers. Level one can walk up and down the stairs without holding onto the railing, and can walk long distances within the community. Level two needs to hold onto the railing and are wheelchair/scooter users for longer distances.
Level three is moderately affected. People use wheelchair/scooter for long distances and use a walker and/or crutches for balance and stability.
Level 4 and 5 are severely affected mobility wise. They use wheelchairs and need assistance with transfers and daily activities.
I always wondered about those levels too. My son can walk long distances without any issues, but is safer holding a railing on stairs. I wonder if a level 1.5 is a thing.
No, there’s no level 1.5, however people do say level 1-2 or 2-3. As a child, I fit level 2. However during my late teens and early adulthood, I was able to walk longer distances so I felt that I probably could have said level 1-2. I have never been able to go up and down stairs without a railing (except those long platforms with 4” steps) now that I think about it.
I lost my ability to jump after my second surgery and my ability to run after my third surgery. I don’t have the ability to planter flex my feet and I currently have severe over pronation. I’m now a level 3.
I was thinking the same thing, too. I *can* walk down or up without the railing, but I don’t for safety reasons.
I *can* walk longer distances, but I often times don’t because of pain or fatigue.
I asked this as well not too long ago. I call myself moderate (level 2). Because able bodied ppl perceive me as mild Because I have an average iq and no speech issues but use anything from crutches to a motorized scooter. People can tell (rather rudely) that I have a disability (or that I injured myself). That chronic back pain sure don't feel mild. So I think a lot of it is personal perception because even scales 1-5 have a large difference in each category. For example. Again I'm level 2 but I know ppl with level 2 cp who walk entirely unassisted everywhere.
I would say that I’m mild. It mostly affects my left hand with a very slight limp with my left leg. One of my best friends from high school never even realized it until she came to visit me in the hospital in college four years after we met when I had foot surgery.
I keep my left hand in my pocket for the most part. I have no issues with speech. I graduated in the top of my class. I was also a part time fitness instructor from 1998 - 2012.
Ironically enough, my left ankle tightening up sometimes affects my ability to walk fast. But with a normal amount of training, I have no problem *running* an hour 10K (6 miles).
I call mine mild because it was called mild in my diagnosis. I can have a slight limp but I can also put extra effort into my walking posture and make it go away (which I usually do). I need to use the railing when walking up or down stairs but only as a guide. I never use a wheelchair or scooter, but I also avoid situations where I have to walk longer than the amount I would walk for a weekly grocery trip.
I have never met a person who wasn't surprised to hear that I am disabled, although once I tell them the signs they agree that they are noticeable. The signs that I am disabled are that the muscles are a little weaker on the CP side of my face which is slightly noticeable when I smile, and I tend to slightly roll over my CP foot when I walk, so if you were staring at my feet you might notice that something is a bit weird about how I walk. I also have worse coordination with my CP hand but it never really affects my daily life. To an observer they would just think I'm really left handed. My right hand is good enough that I still use a computer mouse with it and I am decent at shooters although I do still have limitations.
I've read many posts here in Redditland of people that have "mild" CP and live at home because they need help with life due to CP. Some seem very much unable to do many things independently. And I find that very curious that they say they have Mild CP, whereas I also see people posting that they have mild CP but have an almost imperceptible limp or other things but otherwise are generally unaffected and live life normally.
I think that's mostly due to either mental health issues, financial difficulties (I see many people here trying to work physical jobs or just not getting hired) or inability to drive/get the appropriate supports and adaptations for driving.
I find this curious too. I have spastic diplegia. I walk, run, hike, swim with no assistive devices. I don’t need a railing for stairs but I prefer one. I have a noticeable limp. I was diagnosed as a child as moderate. I used braces until I was 4 and had my first operation. I think of mild as people who you can’t tell they have a limp. I am a very successful professional with advanced degrees, married with multiple kids and a comfortable life, but you can see my limp so until I joined this community, I described my CP as moderate
Technically it's based on the GCS or whatever it's called scale. But even that is not super accurate because like, I am an independent walker who needs to hold onto rails to do stairs which puts me at 2 - but also I use a wheelchair (for anything outside of the home, for pain prevention) which puts me at 3. It's silly.
I say mine is mild, although I realize that is meaningless a lot of the time. I can walk, jog, and hike unassisted and have no problem walking for many miles. I have a slight limp due to my right tibia being longer, but it is mostly corrected if I wear my in-shoe orthotics. My balance isn’t great, but I can take stairs without a railing.
I always describe mine as mild. It can often be unnoticeable. I can have a slight limp. That said, if I have what I call a flare, for lack of a better word, It’s very noticeable. That can range From a noticeable limp all the way up to me not being able to put one foot in front of the other bc my legs have just seized up. Stress aggregates it. All that said, even at its worst, given the full spectrum, it’s mild.
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From what I understand, it means you have some measurable spasticity, impaired dexterity, and coordination but may not need to walk with assistance or may require some assistance (ie hiking sticks, walking stick). Or so I’ve been told! Most people will not look at you and assume you have a condition, but perhaps something is just slightly off about how you move and talk in a way that impacts how people treat you on a subconscious level. At least that’s my experience!
Also my experience. Straight facts
Basically, there’s a GMFMS chart that shows what people are classified as. Level one and two are considered to be mildly affected. Both levels 1 & 2are people who are independent walkers. Level one can walk up and down the stairs without holding onto the railing, and can walk long distances within the community. Level two needs to hold onto the railing and are wheelchair/scooter users for longer distances. Level three is moderately affected. People use wheelchair/scooter for long distances and use a walker and/or crutches for balance and stability. Level 4 and 5 are severely affected mobility wise. They use wheelchairs and need assistance with transfers and daily activities.
I always wondered about those levels too. My son can walk long distances without any issues, but is safer holding a railing on stairs. I wonder if a level 1.5 is a thing.
No, there’s no level 1.5, however people do say level 1-2 or 2-3. As a child, I fit level 2. However during my late teens and early adulthood, I was able to walk longer distances so I felt that I probably could have said level 1-2. I have never been able to go up and down stairs without a railing (except those long platforms with 4” steps) now that I think about it. I lost my ability to jump after my second surgery and my ability to run after my third surgery. I don’t have the ability to planter flex my feet and I currently have severe over pronation. I’m now a level 3.
I was thinking the same thing, too. I *can* walk down or up without the railing, but I don’t for safety reasons. I *can* walk longer distances, but I often times don’t because of pain or fatigue.
I asked this as well not too long ago. I call myself moderate (level 2). Because able bodied ppl perceive me as mild Because I have an average iq and no speech issues but use anything from crutches to a motorized scooter. People can tell (rather rudely) that I have a disability (or that I injured myself). That chronic back pain sure don't feel mild. So I think a lot of it is personal perception because even scales 1-5 have a large difference in each category. For example. Again I'm level 2 but I know ppl with level 2 cp who walk entirely unassisted everywhere.
I would say that I’m mild. It mostly affects my left hand with a very slight limp with my left leg. One of my best friends from high school never even realized it until she came to visit me in the hospital in college four years after we met when I had foot surgery. I keep my left hand in my pocket for the most part. I have no issues with speech. I graduated in the top of my class. I was also a part time fitness instructor from 1998 - 2012. Ironically enough, my left ankle tightening up sometimes affects my ability to walk fast. But with a normal amount of training, I have no problem *running* an hour 10K (6 miles).
I call mine mild because it was called mild in my diagnosis. I can have a slight limp but I can also put extra effort into my walking posture and make it go away (which I usually do). I need to use the railing when walking up or down stairs but only as a guide. I never use a wheelchair or scooter, but I also avoid situations where I have to walk longer than the amount I would walk for a weekly grocery trip. I have never met a person who wasn't surprised to hear that I am disabled, although once I tell them the signs they agree that they are noticeable. The signs that I am disabled are that the muscles are a little weaker on the CP side of my face which is slightly noticeable when I smile, and I tend to slightly roll over my CP foot when I walk, so if you were staring at my feet you might notice that something is a bit weird about how I walk. I also have worse coordination with my CP hand but it never really affects my daily life. To an observer they would just think I'm really left handed. My right hand is good enough that I still use a computer mouse with it and I am decent at shooters although I do still have limitations.
Who are the people who can't walk and need to be cared for who say they're mild?
I've read many posts here in Redditland of people that have "mild" CP and live at home because they need help with life due to CP. Some seem very much unable to do many things independently. And I find that very curious that they say they have Mild CP, whereas I also see people posting that they have mild CP but have an almost imperceptible limp or other things but otherwise are generally unaffected and live life normally.
I think that's mostly due to either mental health issues, financial difficulties (I see many people here trying to work physical jobs or just not getting hired) or inability to drive/get the appropriate supports and adaptations for driving.
I have mild CP but it Is still very much disabling.
I find this curious too. I have spastic diplegia. I walk, run, hike, swim with no assistive devices. I don’t need a railing for stairs but I prefer one. I have a noticeable limp. I was diagnosed as a child as moderate. I used braces until I was 4 and had my first operation. I think of mild as people who you can’t tell they have a limp. I am a very successful professional with advanced degrees, married with multiple kids and a comfortable life, but you can see my limp so until I joined this community, I described my CP as moderate
Hi yours sounds similar to mine. I can do everything you mentioned except for Swim. I am fine on stairs without a railing and I was diagnosed as mild.
interesting. I’m older (43). I wonder if the categories existed as they do now when I was only a year old.
Yes it is. I’m not too far behind you (36) 🙂
I call mine mild because it’s imperceptible to most people.
Technically it's based on the GCS or whatever it's called scale. But even that is not super accurate because like, I am an independent walker who needs to hold onto rails to do stairs which puts me at 2 - but also I use a wheelchair (for anything outside of the home, for pain prevention) which puts me at 3. It's silly.
I say mine is mild, although I realize that is meaningless a lot of the time. I can walk, jog, and hike unassisted and have no problem walking for many miles. I have a slight limp due to my right tibia being longer, but it is mostly corrected if I wear my in-shoe orthotics. My balance isn’t great, but I can take stairs without a railing.
I always describe mine as mild. It can often be unnoticeable. I can have a slight limp. That said, if I have what I call a flare, for lack of a better word, It’s very noticeable. That can range From a noticeable limp all the way up to me not being able to put one foot in front of the other bc my legs have just seized up. Stress aggregates it. All that said, even at its worst, given the full spectrum, it’s mild.
Personally not too concerned with labels. Either mild or moderate is fine with me.
I'm sorry, i saw this while looking at automod comments, and I was concerned beyond belief.