Spasticity

What is spasticity?

Spasticity is a condition that causes abnormal muscle contraction and stiffness. This muscle stiffness that can interfere with your ability to walk, move, or speak normally.

Ordinarily, a complex network of nerve impulses causes certain muscles to contract while others relax. This allows you to create movements such as brushing your teeth, bathing, getting out of a chair, and walking. Spasticity happens when damage to a part of your brain or spinal cord disrupts the signals between your nervous system and muscles, stopping the ability of certain muscles to relax.

What are the symptoms of spasticity?

Spasticity episodes can range in severity from mild to completely disabling. Common symptoms of spasticity include:

  • Abnormal posture

  • Muscle tightness

  • Muscle spasms

  • Joint stiffness

  • Involuntary jerky movements

  • Pain in the affected muscles and joints

  • Difficulty controlling muscles used to speak

What causes spasticity?

Spasticity usually results from damage to nerves in your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). This occurs when the nerve damage takes away the signals that allow your muscles to relax. Numerous common medical conditions can cause this type of damage, including:

  • Traumatic brain injury

  • Spinal cord injury

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS)

  • Cerebral palsy

  • Stroke

Regardless of the cause, severity, and specific symptoms of your spasticity, Dr. Waltrous can develop an individualized treatment plan to help improve your quality of life.

How is spasticity diagnosed?

To diagnose spasticity, Dr. Waltrous thoroughly reviews your symptoms and medical history and performs a physical exam. Then, he recommends the best course of treatment based on factors such as:

  • Underlying condition causing your spasticity

  • Addressing episodes where your spasticity worsens

  • Severity of your spasticity pain and disability

Once he reaches a diagnosis, Dr. Waltrous can then develop an optimal treatment plan.

How is spasticity treated?

Treatment for spasticity focuses on improving your ability to function independently and relieving your pain or discomfort. Depending on your specific condition, Dr. Waltrous may recommend one or more of the following treatments:

  • Physical, occupational, and/or speech therapy

  • Ice therapy

  • Oral medications, such as muscle relaxers

  • Medicine injections, such as botulinum toxin (Botox®)

If your spasticity doesn’t improve with conservative treatments, Dr. Waltrous may recommend referral to a neurosurgeon for surgery. Surgical treatments for spasticity can include implanting an intrathecal pain pump or severing specific nerve roots if other conservative treatments do not provide complete relief of your spasticity.