To describe particular types of movement disorders covered by the term, pediatricians, neurologists, and therapists use several classification systems and many labels. To understand different types of cerebral palsy more clearly, you must first understand what professionals mean by muscle tone .
Muscle tone refers to the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle.
Muscle tone is what enables us to keep our bodies in certain position or posture. Changes in muscle tone is what enables us to move. To complete a movement smoothly, the tone in all muscle groups involved must be balanced. The brain must send messages to each muscle group to actively change its resistance. All children with cerebral palsy have damage to the area of the brain that controls muscle tone.