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Spasticity is a central nervous system disorder where muscles contract and stiffen, causing problems with speech, walking, and motor activities. It is managed with stretches, medication, and surgery, and can be caused by underlying medical conditions. Stress, exercise, and emotional stimuli can worsen spasticity.
Spasticity is a central nervous system disorder characterized by overactive muscles. In a patient with spasticity, some muscles continually contract and stiffen much more than they normally would. The condition can cause problems with speech, walking and motor activities and is associated with serious complications such as dislocated limbs. For patients, spasticity can be frustrating, painful, and sometimes humiliating.
This condition is usually associated with another medical disorder such as multiple sclerosis, a brain injury, or cerebral palsy. A wide variety of muscle groups can be involved. In all cases, spasticity involves a confusion in the neurons that transmit information from the brain to the muscles; instead of firing normally, these neurons hyperdrive, telling the muscles to tense and continue to contract. During a spastic episode, the patient may be unable to relax, bend or stretch and may experience significant pain.
Spasticity is managed daily with massage and a series of stretches designed to help relax the affected muscles. Yoga and other movement disciplines that promote flexibility can also be used in an effort to keep the muscles as relaxed as possible. Medication may also be offered to help manage the spasticity, with medications such as muscle relaxants being used to stop the patient’s muscles from contracting too much.
In some cases, surgical techniques can be used to address the spasticity. Neurosurgery can target the specific areas of the brain involved, although this surgery comes with some definite risks that should be considered. Patients with severe spasticity may be offered surgeries in which the connection between the brain and the muscles involved is severed. Other forms of therapy may also be available, depending on which underlying condition is causing the spasticity.
Many things seem to increase spasticity. The stimuli in particular appear to increase the severity and frequency of muscle contractions, and these stimuli can range from skin infections that upset the body’s balance to emotionally difficult conversations. Exercise, exhaustion, and stress can all contribute to spasticity and muscle twitching, and sometimes stress about the possibility of spasticity can lead to a spastic attack. For example, a patient may be afraid to go for a walk with a friend for fear of a spastic episode, and the stress during the walk may cause the patient’s muscles to begin to twitch.
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