Spasticity Related Pain
Living with severe spasticity poses difficult physical challenges. Tight, stiff muscles can get in the way of daily activities. Fortunately, there is a therapy from Medtronic that can minimize severe spasticity in some individuals.
Spasticity is often described as tight, stiff muscles or spasms that may make movement, posture, and balance difficult. It may affect your ability to move one or more of your limbs, or to move one side of your body. Sometimes spasticity is so severe that it gets in the way of daily activities, sleep patterns, and caregiving.
Causes
Spasticity is caused by damage or injury to the part of the central nervous system (the brain or spinal cord) that controls voluntary movement. This damage disrupts important signals between the nervous system and muscles, creating an imbalance that increases muscle activity or spasms.
Risk Factors
Severe spasticity is associated with the following conditions:
Cerebral palsy
Multiple sclerosis
Stroke
Brain injury
Spinal cord injury
Symptoms
Symptoms of spasticity may include:
Increased muscle tone
Overactive reflexes
Involuntary movements, which may include spasms (brisk and/or sustained involuntary muscle contraction) and clonus (series of fast involuntary contractions)
Pain
Decreased functional abilities and delayed motor development
Difficulty with care and hygiene
Abnormal posture
Contractures (permanent contraction of the muscle and tendon due to severe persistent stiffness and spasms)
Bone and joint deformities