Spasticity is a muscle control disorder that is characterized by tight or stiff muscles and an inability to control those muscles. It usually occurs due to an imbalance of signals from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to the muscles. This imbalance is often found in people with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury.

Symptoms of spasticity

• Increased muscle tone
• Involuntary movements, which may include spasms (brisk and/or sustained involuntary muscle contraction) and clonus (series of fast involuntary contractions)
• Pain
• Decreased functional abilities and delayed motor development
• Difficulty with care and hygiene
• Abnormal posture
• Contractures (permanent contraction of the muscle and tendon due to severe persistent stiffness and spasms)
• Bone and joint deformities

About us & Spasticity

We will evaluate your medical history in order to know if you have a history of neurological or muscular disorders in yourself or your family.

A detailed physical examination will be done to evaluate your arm and leg movements, muscular activity, passive and active range of motion, and ability to perform self-care activities after which the treatment plan will be decided.

Spasticity Management

• Rehabilitation will help to reduce or stabilize the severity of symptoms and to improve functional performance
• Positioning & Weight bearing
  Proper positioning is an extremely important component of spasticity management. Poor positioning can result in an increase in spasticity and in decreased range of movements leading to contractures, increased pain and exacerbation of a vicious cycle that can lead to worsening spasticity.
• Stretching exercises.
• Physical modalities- cold & heat therapy.
• Special braces which help in preventing tendon shortening, thereby retaining & improving functional performance.
• Anti- spasticity medications and/or Botox injections to relieve spasticity followed by specialist physiotherapy.
• Rarely a Baclofen pump which gives a continuous dose of this anti-spasticity drug into the spinal cord may be needed.