Post 16: Why Tight Hamstrings & Spasticity in CP Might Be Caused by Core Instability
When your child’s legs look tight or misaligned, your first instinct is to zoom in. But what if the real answer lies in zooming out?
You’ve likely been told that your child’s hamstrings are too tight, or that their knees or feet are not in proper alignment. Maybe surgery has been offered as a solution. You’re doing all you can—stretches, AFOs, exercises—but nothing seems to make a lasting difference.
Let me offer a new perspective. One that comes not from fixing body parts in isolation, but from understanding how the body works as a whole.
WeFlow Fascia Therapy is based on fascia and biotensegrity. These are not just buzzwords; they offer a radically different, science-informed way of understanding your child’s challenges—and possibilities.
If you’ve been told to stretch your child’s legs every day and you’re not seeing lasting results, you’ll want to read this post on why we don’t stretch tight muscles.
Your Child's Legs Are Not the Problem
We know it’s tempting to treat the legs as the issue. But in most of the children we work with, the legs are simply reflecting what’s happening in the torso.
You might notice tight abductors and hamstrings, pointed toes, or rotated knees. But zoom out: Is your child using these leg patterns to compensate for a collapsed or unstable core? Most likely, yes.
Sometimes parents ask: "Why do my child's knees collapse inward? Why do their feet point down or twist?"
These are valid questions. The positions can look alarming. But we want to shift the mindset from "fixing" the position to understanding it.
Biotensegrity tells us that the entire body is connected through a tensional network. When there isn’t enough tension in one area—like the torso—the body recruits other areas to stabilize. Often, that’s the legs.
The mistake we often make is assuming that a tight muscle is the primary issue, as a consequence of the brain injury. But tightness is rarely the root cause. It's usually the body’s best attempt to find some kind of support or control in the absence of a stable core.
In most cases, your child’s body is doing exactly what it needs to stabilize itself. These unusual positions are not random. They are highly intelligent adaptations in response to a system that lacks inner support.
When the fascia collapses—and with it, the system of internal tension that keeps everything organized—the child recruits tone. The muscles tighten, the limbs twist, the feet point. Not out of habit or dysfunction, but out of necessity.
The Role of Fascia in All This
To understand why this matters so much, we need to revisit fascia: the connective tissue that surrounds, supports, and links every part of the body.
Think of it like a 3D web of soft but strong fibers that keep everything in place. Fascia gives form. Fascia gives feedback. Fascia creates space.
When the fascia is under tension in a healthy way, it supports posture and movement with minimal muscle effort. But when it loses its tension—due to neurological injury, lack of movement, or prolonged immobility—the whole system collapses. And that’s what many children with cerebral palsy experience.
So when a leg is not functioning as a leg, it’s often because the fascia hasn’t yet organized that leg as a distinct unit within the system. This is not just about stretching or muscle tone. It's about re-building that inner architecture.
Why This Changes Everything
When we stop seeing the leg as an isolated part—and instead as one piece of a tensional system—our entire strategy changes.
It’s no longer about stretching or straightening. It becomes about helping the body find internal clarity. We ask:
What is the leg trying to do?
What is the rest of the body doing to support—or limit—that movement?
Is the fascia strong and organized enough to allow for separation and control?
Instead of jumping to braces, splints, or surgeries, we pause and assess the bigger picture. And often, that picture tells us that the leg is doing its best in a very unstable system.
The Test: Is the Leg Really a Leg Yet?
One of the simplest ways to check this is a test we use in our assessments. Try this:
Hold your child's ankle and gently move the leg side to side. Do not hold anything else.
Watch the rest of the body. Does only the leg move, or does the pelvis and spine follow along?
If the whole body moves, it means the leg isn't yet "segmented." In other words, the fascia hasn't organized the body enough for the leg to move independently.
This test gives us insight into something much deeper than just leg control. It tells us about your child’s internal map of their body. When there’s poor segmentation, the nervous system doesn’t quite know what’s leg and what’s torso. Everything blends together.
You can imagine it like this:
A segmented leg moves independently, like a separate limb.
A non-segmented leg drags other body parts along with it, like a mermaid tail. The brain doesn’t know where the leg ends and the torso begins.
Real-Life Examples of Segmentation in Action
The following pictures show real-life examples of children before and after several months of fascia-based therapy done by their parents. In these comparisons, you can clearly see how improving the robustness and organization of the torso impacts the alignment, tone, and behavior of the legs.
As the fascial system strengthens and segmentation improves, the legs naturally find better positioning—without being directly stretched or forced into shape.
What Happens If We Stay Focused Only on the Legs?
If we keep zooming in, trying to "fix" tight muscles without understanding their purpose, we risk:
Weakening the fascial system further through overstretching.
Disrupting your child’s internal compensation strategy.
Missing the opportunity to create true internal stability.
Instead, we build from the inside out.
When we understand how the leg fits into the larger body system—and how the fascia must be tensioned and organized for control to emerge—we begin to work with the body, not against it.
Want to learn more about why overstretching can be harmful? Read: Beyond Stretching: Gentle Fascia Therapy
A Gentle Invitation
You don’t need to fix the legs. You just need to start seeing the whole body.
This blog is the first step. In our next post’s video lesson I’ll go deeper into what segmentation really means—and how to recognize it in your own child.
Stay tuned. And remember: your child is not broken. Their body is communicating. And you are learning how to listen.
WeFlow’s Tip
When the leg pulls the pelvis along with it, your child may not yet feel that it’s a separate limb. That’s okay. Recognizing this is the first step to supporting real change.
You are learning to see differently. That alone is powerful.
Ready to Start?
Take your first step into fascia therapy with our short, parent-friendly workshop:
The #1 Fascia Therapy To Improve Torso Control
Gentle, effective, and easy to begin—no experience needed.
Want to Go Deeper?
If you’re ready to fully embrace this gentle approach and receive personalized support, apply for TheraParent Coaching—our therapeutic coaching program designed for dedicated parents like you.
Includes weekly calls, a tailored plan, and a supportive community.
Apply here – it’s free to explore.
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