Spasticity is generally caused by
damage or disruption to the area of the brain and spinal cord
that are responsible for controlling muscle and stretch reflexes. These disruptions can be due to an imbalance in the inhibitory and excitatory signals sent to the muscles, causing them to lock in place.
How do you relieve spasticity?
- Performing stretching exercises daily. Prolonged stretching can make muscles longer, helping to decrease spasticity and prevent contracture.
- Splinting, casting, and bracing. These methods are used to maintain range of motion and flexibility.
What causes increased spasticity?
Spasticity is usually caused by
damage to nerve pathways within the spinal cord or brain
. It may also be a symptom of multiple neurological conditions including spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, brain or head trauma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and hereditary spastic paraplegias.
Which is most likely to cause spasticity?
What Causes Spasticity? 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.
What conditions are associated with spasticity?
Spasticity is abnormal muscle tightness due to prolonged muscle contraction. It is a symptom associated with damage to the brain, spinal cord or motor nerves, and is seen in individuals with neurological conditions, such as:
Cerebral palsy (CP) Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Does spasticity get worse over time?
Keep moving. Muscle spasticity
will tend to get worse the less you move
. This is especially true if the muscles become weaker. Moving less can also contribute to developing contracture.
Is massage good for spasticity?
Spasticity —
Massage can help relax muscles and enhance range of motion exercises
. Pain — Massage is useful in any condition in which a reduction in swelling or mobilization of tissues leads to pain relief.
Does spasticity ever go away?
It is caused by damage to the spinal cord that occurs in people with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or other conditions that affect the brain or spinal cord. In cerebral palsy, the damage isn’t reversible, meaning
true spasticity doesn’t go away on its own
.
Does heat help spasticity?
Sometimes heat or ice can be used to temporarily relax a spastic muscle
. Warm baths or swimming pools can also help to relax a spastic muscle. Check with your physician or therapist before using heat or cold with your child. Medications Sometimes the effects of spasticity can be improved by medication.
Does exercise help spasticity?
Exercise is
a great treatment for spasticity
because it sparks neuroplasticity and helps repair the communication between the brain and muscles. There are many therapies available that you can supplement with your spasticity treatment exercises such as Botox and electro-acupuncture.
What does leg spasticity feel like?
Spasticity may be as mild as
the feeling of tightness of muscles
or may be so severe as to produce painful, uncontrollable spasms of extremities, usually of the legs. Spasticity may also produce feelings of pain or tightness in and around joints, and can cause low back pain.
How do you check for spasticity?
A physical examination with neurological testing
will be done to test for spasticity and the severity of it. Imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide more information on the source of spasticity and the extent of the damage that has caused it.
Does spasticity increase with age?
In summary, spasticity, as measured using the Ashworth scale,
increases in most children with CP up to 5 years of age followed by a decrease up to the age of 15 years
. This information is important for long-term treatment planning.
Can muscle spasticity be cured?
Usually, medical treatment or exercise therapy for spasticity
is not a complete cure
, so ongoing therapy may be necessary.
What does spasticity look like?
What does spasticity look like? Many people with muscle spasticity have
increased muscle tone
, meaning that some of their muscles never relax fully and are always somewhat contracted. This increased tone, also known as hypertonia, can range from mild and uncomfortable to severe and debilitating, like rigidity.
What part of the brain is damaged in spasticity?
Spasticity is a result of disrupted communication between the brain and the muscles. The source of that disruption is usually
the cerebral cortex
(the region of the brain that controls movement) or the brainstem, where nerves connect the brain to the spinal cord.
