How can you stop ongoing spasms?
The treatment of adult with spasticity should be provided by a multidisciplinary team employing a shared-care approach. A variety of treatment options is available and clinical experience has shown that a multi-modal approach has many benefits. In most cases, a combination of various types of treatment is required to achieve the specific goals of treatment for a particular patient.
A rehabilitation plan must be tailored to individual patient needs, and is likely to involve medical intervention (e.g., botulinum toxin, pain medication), as well as multiple additional therapies – for example physical, occupational and psychological approaches. Together, these therapies enable optimal management of functional problems such as impaired mobility, strength, balance, and endurance, amongst other spasticity-related issues.
The primary aim of treatment is to facilitate life for people with spasticity and for their caregivers, thus improving their quality of life. Therefore, improvement in function is a key long-term factor in spasticity management. Consequently, the development of realistic and clinically relevant goals for each individual patient is the key for a successful treatment. These goals should be defined and followed up in collaboration with other members of the spasticity management team that may include a specialist for physical medicine and rehabilitation, a neurologist, a physiatrist, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a neurosurgeon, and an orthotist (specialist concerned with the design, manufacture and application of orthoses).
The importance of adapting the treatment to patients’ symptoms and especially to patients’ needs throughout the course of treatment is crucial, with expectations revisited and redefined if necessary at regular intervals.