Spasticity

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Central nervous system

Overview

Treatment

Spasticity

Home Care:

Spasticity may often be helped by physical therapy. Daily routines of exercise including muscle stretching (to prevent joint contractures) will help reduce the severity of symptoms of severe spasticity. Physical therapy can be taught to parents who may then administer the care at home.

Medication for spasticity can be taken orally. These medications include Baclofen, Tizanidine and Benzodiazepines. Rarely, a pump can be inserted into the spinal fluid and medication can be administered directly into the nervous system.

Call your health care provider if:

The spasticity worsens
Contracture deformities appear to be developing
There is any deterioration in the condition

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask questions about your symptoms, including:

When was it first noticed?
How long has it lasted?
Is it always present?
How severe is it?
What muscles are affected?
What makes it better?
What makes it worse?
What other symptoms are also present?

A diagnosis of spasticity usually will have been made following a brain injury or the diagnosis of cerebral palsy (often in a hospital setting).

Physical therapy consists of stretching exercises, muscle group strengthening exercises, and repetitive motion exercises (for improvement of accuracy and performance at given tasks). Occasionally, surgery is required for tendon release or severing of the nerve-muscle pathway.

Review Date: 2/15/2005
Reviewed By: Luc Jasmin, MD, PhD, Departments of Anatomy & Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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