🔊 Play

Spasticity is one of several clinical features/motor behaviors that may result following damage to the part of the brain or spinal cord involved in controlling voluntary movement. Collectively, these features are known as the upper motor neuron (UMN) syndrome. Spasticity is associated with a pathologically increased muscle tone. This creates stiffness and resistance to passive movement (the word ‘spasm’ originates from the Greek word, ‘spasmos’, which means to drag or pull). This change in muscle tone may increase the disability related to the disease at the origin of spasticity.

🔊 Play

Spasticity is one of the features of upper motor neuron (UMN) syndrome. UMN syndrome is caused by damage to one (or more) areas of the central nervous system (CNS) involved in controlling voluntary movement. UMN syndrome can be divided into two broad groups – negative phenomena and positive phenomena.

Negative phenomena refer to what is lost, such as fine motor skills, strength, and motor control.

Positive phenomena are characterized by an abundance of muscle hyperactivity, such as spasticity, hypereflexia (increased stretch reflexes), clonus (uncontrollable movement of a body limb, especially the ankle), co-contractions (involuntary contractions of a limb or a part of the limb while the patient is actively moving another part (e.g., lower limb) (e.g., adduction of the shoulder while walking), or muscles spasms.

🔊 Play

38% of stroke survivors experience post-stroke spasticity within one year after a first stroke.

🔊 Play

Spasticity is one of several clinical features/motor behaviors that may result following damage to the part of the brain or spinal cord involved in controlling voluntary movement. Collectively, these features are known as the upper motor neuron (UMN) syndrome. Spasticity is associated with a pathologically increased muscle tone. This creates stiffness and resistance to passive movement (the word ‘spasm’ originates from the Greek word, ‘spasmos’, which means to drag or pull). This change in muscle tone may increase the disability related to the disease at the origin of spasticity.