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spasticity
DiseaseQ117060· pop 23· linked from 394 articles

spasticity

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Also known as Muscle Spasticity

Spasticity () is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance with a combination of paralysis, increased tendon reflex activity, and hypertonia. It is also colloquially referred to as an unusual "tightness", stiffness, or "pull" of muscles.

Key facts

Medical condition.name
Spasticity
Medical condition.specialty
Neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

37,177 papers

via PubMed

~19 min read

Article

13 sections
Contents
  • Pathophysiology
  • Spasticity and clonus
  • Characteristics of spasticity
  • Diagnosis
  • Grading
  • Assessment
  • Treatment
  • Prognosis
  • Research
  • History
  • See also
  • References
  • Further reading

Spasticity () is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance with a combination of paralysis, increased tendon reflex activity, and hypertonia. It is also colloquially referred to as an unusual "tightness", stiffness, or "pull" of muscles.

Clinically, spasticity results from the loss of inhibition of motor neurons, causing excessive velocity-dependent muscle contraction. This ultimately leads to hyperreflexia, an exaggerated deep tendon reflex. Spasticity is often treated with the drug baclofen, which acts as an agonist at GABA receptors, which are inhibitory.

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