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Spasticity Management

<p>Spasticity Management</p>

Spasticity is characterized by muscle tightness or stiffness caused by an imbalance of signals from the brain or spinal cord to the muscles. This is commonly seen in conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke, traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury.

Spasticity may make walking or performing everyday tasks difficult for your child. If left untreated, it can result in pain from muscle spasms, contractures (permanent shortening of the muscles and tendons), bone and joint deformities, and abnormal posture.

Rehabilitation management for spasticity depends on the location of muscle involved, the severity of symptoms, and the goals for improving care and function. This clinic helps to address spasticity by working with the patient and family to determine the most appropriate treatment options for your child.

Therapeutic interventions include oral medications, physical and occupational therapy involving range of motion and stretching exercises, casting, the use of braces and other adaptive equipment, local injections with phenol and/or botulinum toxin, surgical release of affected muscles/tendons, selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), and intrathecal baclofen therapy.

Learn more about spasticity and treatments for the condition in Patient Resources and watch a video presentation from Dr. Aloysia Schwabe, Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, on Managing Spasticity in Children