Spastic

Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and can interfere with normal movement, speech, and gait. Spasticity is usually caused by damage to the portion of the brain or spinal cord that controls voluntary movement. It may occur in association with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, and brain damage.

Causes

Spasticity is caused by 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

Symptoms may include hypertonia (increased muscle tone), clonus (a series of rapid muscle contractions), exaggerated deep tendon reflexes, muscle spasms, scissoring (involuntary crossing of the legs), and fixed joints. The degree of spasticity varies from mild muscle stiffness to severe, painful, and uncontrollable muscle spasms.

Treatment

Treatment of spasticity may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, medication, nerve blocks, and surgery. Physical therapy and occupational therapy regimens of assisted stretching, strengthening, functional tasks, gait training, and sometimes the use of orthotic devices, can be very beneficial.

See also

• Muscle tone
• Hypertonia
• Clonus
• Deep tendon reflex
• Muscle spasm
• Scissoring (medicine)
• Fixed joint
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Orthotic