Spasticity is a muscle tightness is where a patient cannot control muscle movement!
If you wonder, you are likely over 20% of stroke patients that had or have spasticity. If you have spasticity, you agree that it is a bummer!
As you can tell everyone, spasticity is a muscle tightness is where a patient cannot control muscle movement well or at all. Your muscles remain contracted and become “stuck” in a rigid or tight position. You cannot comfortably relax when you want them to. Your frozen muscles affect your movement, speech and gait.
Sometimes, with milder spasticity, you might be able to move your muscles, but they may resist your movements instead of moving smoothly. Moving requires significant effort if you can. I don’t have to tell you if you have spasticity.
The theory is that you have electrical impulses in the brain that tell your limbs to move, flex, and contract. Typically, a healthy nervous system might hold back any unnecessary impulses. However, if this is damaged, those unwanted impulses occur, leading to involuntary muscle contractions and stiffness.
The nervous system attempts to “rewire” and repair itself to compensate for the lost motor control. In many cases, the nervous system is unable to restore normal control to all the muscles. Some muscles do not respond at all, while others are significantly overactive, resulting in dysfunctional postures of the shoulder, arm and hand and often leg and foot as well. These dysfunctional muscles at times hide muscles that may actually have good control.
Please comment on this piece below. Tell me if I’m spot on or not!
Here is an overview of the current treatments available.
1. Physical therapy to improve strength and flexibility
2. Occupational therapy to improve coordination and ability to perform everyday activities
3. Oral medications to cope with symptoms caused by spasticity like Baclofen, Valium, or Gabapentin
4. Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections to relax the muscles
5. Implanted devices to control impulses or surgery to cut nerves
6. Braces, casts, or splints to hold the limb in a less painful position
These are treatments you can do to help your spasticity. Until we will have more advanced and proven to manage or cure spasticity, it will remain a PAIN!
Sources: https://www.healthination.com/health/neurology/stroke/stroke-spasticity/ https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Spasticity https://www.paralysiscenter.org/stroke-spasticity & https://sp-foundation.org/understanding-pls-hsp/treatments-therapies-pages/physical-therapy-and-exercise.html
Go to my website, www.success4lifetime.org, to learn more about this condition. You can also learn more by going to my YT channel, thestrokerecoverycircle. Check it out and look at my other videos. You can join my FB group at The Stroke Recovery Circle. Tomorrow I am leading a group training on memory after the stroke. It is at 5 PM ET. You can sign up from my blog too. Remember, hurry up and go to www.success4lifetime.org.
Thank you! To your success!
#strokethivors
#20%ofstrokepatients
#spasticityisabummer
#lossofmusclecontrol
#oralmedications
#botoxinjections
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