What is Spasticity and what are it's effects?

Spasticity means stiff, and refers to the excess of tone in a muscle during the normal process of tightening and relaxing particular muscles in order to initiate, control and relax or release movement. It has also been described as “a velocity-dependent increase in resistance of a muscle to stretch”. This means that the faster a limb or joint is moved, the greater the spasticity that results.

Severe spasticity can result in tight stiff muscles, especially of the arms and legs, making movement difficult, uncoordinated or uncomfortable, and can also affect other functions such as speech and swallowing. Spasticity can be painful and interfere with functional mobility, as well as causing an individual severe discomfort It can affect all aspects of daily living, walking, dressing, sleeping, communication, feeding and personal care, making these activities both time-consuming and difficult for both individuals and carers.

Uncontrolled, poorly managed spasticity is also recognised for the increased potential of additional medical problems such as muscle contractures, joint stiffness and pressure sores, requiring additional surgical and medical interventions.

Children with CP often have abnormal and asymmetrical tone, which often leads to contractures developing. This is an underlying feature which most commonly leads to surgery and is of particular concern for growing children with CP. Orthopaedic surgery may resolve some of the problems, but these often re-occur if the underlying spasticity is not managed properly. Some estimates suggest that approximately 7% of children with CP experience severe spasticity and may therefore be potential candidates for ITB Therapy.

Spasticity is also associated with decreased coordination, dexterity and endurance, and muscle weakness. It can vary according to the child’s state of alertness, activity or posture and can be aggravated by many factors such as pain, stress, emotional state, tiredness, extremes of temperature, illness, constipation and diarrhea.

Severe spasticity can also “burn off” a large proportion of the calorific intake of a child’s diet and may result in an underweight child who may be more susceptible to illness and infection.