Understanding Spasticity

Parkinson's disease

When you observe stroke survivors, very often you’ll find them tight-fisted with bent elbows and arms bent against the chest. These symptoms are due to brain injury from the stroke, causing muscles to contract involuntarily (shorten or flex) giving rise to stiffness and tightness. Medically, this is known as Spasticity.

When a muscle cannot complete its full range of motion, tendons and soft tissues surrounding that muscle can become tight. This makes stretching the muscle difficult. If left untreated this can become a permanent freeze into an abnormal, often painful position.

Due to this reason, it is vital that stroke survivors begin physiotherapy immediately after leaving the hospital. This will prevent the onset of Spasticity and promote recovery. In other words, stroke rehabilitation must commence as soon as the doctors determine the patient is ready for discharge. After the stroke survivor’s condition has improved, a healthcare professional can conduct Occupational Therapy to teach essential daily living skills, including dressing, washing, bathing, and feeding.

Here are several recommended treatments for Spasticity:-

1. Stretching Exercises.

This helps to maintain a full range of motion to prevent muscle shortening. In the early stages after a stroke, such exercises are of the passive type. This means somebody has to help the stroke patient to do the moving and stretching. It is advisable to encourage the stroke survivor to try to move even though he cannot. After some weeks, movement will begin, usually with the stronger and bigger muscles moving first. Slowly, the smaller muscles in the extremities like knuckles and fingers will start to move.

2. Wearing Braces.
Braces help to hold muscles in the proper position, thus preventing contraction. This is often recommended by the Physiotherapist. There are different types of braces for different body parts.

3. Oral Medication.
This will help in relaxing the nerves and preventing the muscles from contracting. It is best to leave such prescriptions to the Neurologist.

4. Injections.
The healthcare provider injects medication into targeted muscle groups to weaken overactive muscles. Intensive Physiotherapy is performed during this period to strengthen the muscles, enabling them to naturally resist contractions or pulling. The effects of these injections typically last only a few months.

5. Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy (IBT)

This is a specialized treatment and should be performed by a doctor. A small pump is surgically implanted to supply Baclofen to the Spinal Cord. This method is better than Oral Medication because it has lesser side effects.

To determine which treatment option is best, it is recommended to consult with a doctor. In the case of IBT, a screening test will be conducted to assess suitability. Due to my wife’s blood condition, she cannot take oral medication, and is instead following a regimen of physical stretching and exercises under the guidance and assistance of a physiotherapist. Recently, we have been considering the use of ‘Botox’ injections in a specific muscle group to induce relaxation, with effects lasting approximately six months. During this time, as spasticity in the hands or legs is reduced, performing stretching exercises can strengthen the muscles and aid in fighting against contractions.

In conclusion,

It is important to note that a stroke can cause injury or damage to the brain, potentially impairing either motor or sensory function, or both. Unfortunately, the damaged part of the brain cannot be treated and is irreversibly lost. However, physiotherapy can aid in stimulating the undamaged part of the brain, re-establishing nerve connections to the damaged area and restoring lost functions. Recent studies have shown that even stroke survivors who have lost their motor function for up to seven to eight years can regain mobility through stimulation, either via physiotherapy or electro-magnetic impulses treatment.

Don’t ever give up hope and press on with all the exercises, and eat a healthy diet too!

Read Related Posts on Stroke
What is a Stroke?
Facts of Stroke & The Warning Signs.
Stroke Risk Factors.
Eating & The Stroke Survivor

[tags]stroke, spasticity, Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy, physiotherapy for stroke survivor[/tags]