Spasticity : Spasticity is stiff or rigid muscles. It may also be called unusual tightness or increased muscle tone. Reflexes (for example, a knee-jerk reflex) are stronger or exaggerated. The condition can interfere with walking, movement, or speech.
Symptoms
Episodes of spasticity can range from very mild to debilitating and painful. Signs of spasticity include:
• muscle tightness
• joint stiffness
• involuntary jerky movements
• exaggeration of reflexes
• unusual posture
• abnormal positioning of fingers, wrists, arms, or shoulders
• muscle spasms
• involuntary crossing of the legs (this is called "scissoring" because the legs cross like the tip of a pair of scissors)
• difficulty controlling the muscles used to speak
• muscle contraction that limits your range of motion or prevents your joints from extending all the way
• pain in the affected muscles and joints
• back pain
• difficulty moving
Spasticity can be triggered when you change position or move suddenly. Other spasm triggers include high humidity, extreme heat, extreme cold, infection, and clothing that is too tight.
Causes of Spasticity
The main cause of spasticity is damage to the nerve pathways that control the movement of muscles. This can be a symptom of a variety of conditions and diseases, including:
• brain injury
• spinal cord injury
• stroke
• cerebral palsy
• multiple sclerosis (MS)
• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• hereditary spastic paraplegias
• adrenoleukodystrophy
• phenylketonuria
• Krabbe disease
Medication
• Medical interventions may include such medications as baclofen, diazepam, dantrolene, or clonazepam. Phenol injections can be used, or botulinum toxin injections into the muscle belly, to attempt to dampen the signals between nerve and muscle.