Spasticity Treatment: What You Need To Know

Understanding and Managing Spasticity: Causes, Issues, and Overview

Spasticity is characterized by tight or stiff muscles, which impede normal muscle movement and can be painful.

Causes of Spasticity

This condition can be caused by a variety of factors, including:
- multiple sclerosis
- cerebral palsy
- stroke
- injuries to the brain or spinal cord

Issues with Spasticity

Individuals experiencing spasticity may face challenges in moving their limbs. Other potential issues include:
- pain
- discomfort
- difficulty in walking

Managing Spasticity

There are management options available for spasticity, such as:
- medications
- physical therapy
These may help in managing symptoms.

In conclusion, an understanding of the causes can support the management of the condition.

Exercise and Oral Medications for Spasticity Management

Managing spasticity involves a balance between exercise and oral medications.

Exercise plays a significant role in managing spasticity. Regular movement contributes to keeping muscles flexible and preventing joint stiffness. Exercise can be categorized into passive or active forms.

Passive exercises involve another individual moving one's limbs to stretch muscles.
Active exercises are performed by the individual themselves.

Oral medications are often utilized in conjunction with exercise for the management of spasticity. Baclofen and Dantrolene are commonly prescribed. Baclofen impacts the nerves that communicate with muscles, facilitating easier muscle relaxation, while Dantrolene acts directly on the muscle.

Variability in response to treatment options is noted, highlighting the importance of monitoring changes throughout the management process.

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Advanced Spasticity Treatments: Intrathecal Therapy, Injections, and Surgery

Intrathecal therapy, injections, and surgery are advanced treatments for spasticity, a condition characterized by feelings of stiffness and involuntary muscle spasms commonly associated with multiple sclerosis.

Intrathecal Therapy

This method delivers medication directly into the space around the spinal cord, known as the "intrathecal" space. It can be particularly beneficial when oral medications are ineffective or lead to severe side effects. An implanted pump under the skin administers medication such as Baclofen to manage spastic muscles.
Injections

Botox and Phenol are commonly used injections that block nerve signals responsible for muscle stiffness, offering temporary symptom relief. These are administered directly into the affected muscles with a needle.
Surgery

Surgery is considered when other treatments are not successful or suitable. Options include rhizotomy, where nerves causing spasticity are severed, and orthopedic surgeries aimed at correcting bone deformities resulting from spasticity.

Each treatment presents its own set of risks and benefits.

Spasticity and its Relation to Spinal Cord Injury

Spasticity refers to a condition where muscles stiffen or tighten, preventing normal fluid movement. Spinal cord injuries often lead to spasticity.

A spinal cord injury disrupts communication between the brain and body parts, causing changes in muscle tone that can lead to spasticity. The severity of spasticity typically depends on the nature and location of the spinal cord injury.

Management of this symptom involves: