Welcome to the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, Inc.
(SPF), dedicated to finding the cures for HSP and PLS
and providing information and support services
The SPF is the only organization dedicated to two
groups of neurological disorders
called Spastic Paraplegia (Hereditary and Apparently
Sporadic)* and Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS). These
spinal cord disorders cause
progressive weakness and spasticity in the
muscles in the lower body. People
generally go
from difficulty walking to needing a cane to sometimes a wheelchair.
In PLS, the disease also affects muscles
in the upper body, causing problems with the arms, voice
and swallowing. Many people with HSP or PLS also have pain, balance
disturbance, or bladder or bowel problems. Very rare forms of Spastic Paraplegia can cause
retardation, dementia, epilepsy, vision problems,
skin problems or other neurological problems.
The impetus for forming the Foundation was inspired
by the accelerating pace of research. Dramatic
breakthroughs have been made in the past decade,
catapulting these conditions from being poorly
understood to being on the threshold of significant
treatment and cures.
The Spastic Paraplegia Foundation is a
volunteer-managed and operated non-profit organization
devoted to finding the causes and cures for these
disorders and to providing information and support
programs. In just seven years,
over 2 million dollars has been awarded in medical
research grants.
We Can Move - Song written by
Mary Prevost for SPF
Contact us to help support our vision of the
day when all individuals with HSP or PLS are diagnosed,
treated and cured.
Meet some everyday heroes
(click
their photos to read their stories):
* Other names used for HSP:
Familial Spastic Paraparesis (or paraplegia), Spastic
Paraplegia, Strümpell Disease, Hereditary Charcot-Disease,
Spastic Spinal Paralysis, Diplegia Spinalis Progressiva,
French Settlement Disease, Troyer Syndrome, and Silver. |
