The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for management of limb spasticity. Randomized controlled trials were searched using electronic databases through July 2015. Fourteen randomized controlled trials were included, involving 544 participants. Intervention protocols fit within three categories: 1) TENS vs. no TENS ...

Poststroke hemiparesis, together with abnormal muscle tone, is a major cause of morbidity and disability. Although most hemiparetic patients are able to reach different ambulatory levels with rehabilitation efforts, upper and lower limb spasticity can impede activities of daily living, personal hygiene, ambulation and, in some cases, functional improvement. The goals of spasticity management in...

Background: Spasticity is a motor disorder frequently encountered after a lesion involving the central nervous system. It is hypothesized to arise from an anarchic reorganization of the pyramidal and parapyramidal fibers and leads to hypertonia and hyperreflexia of the affected muscular groups. While this symptom and its management is well-known in patients suffering from stroke, multiple scler...

Spasticity commonly follows damage to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and presents in conditions, such as stroke, brain and spinal injury of traumatic and non-traumatic causes, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and in a variety of ways depending on the size, location and age of the lesion. It is an involuntary muscle overactivity, which may have several harmful effects such ...

An interactive data management (IDM) system for the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Service was developed to collect self-reported patient data related to secondary medical complications and to provide feedback to the SCI rehabilitation team. The long-term objective is to improve clinical care through a process of staff review of current rehabilitation programs in the areas of prevalence, prevention, ...

Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a powerful neurotoxin which blocks cholinergic transmission at the neuromuscular junction. Judiciously applied, it can reduce local muscle overactivity while maintaining the strength in other muscles. To date BTX has not been licensed for use in spasticity in the UK and the literature pertaining to clinical practice is still relatively scant. However, controlled trials ...

AIM The aim of this paper was to determine whether the injection of alcohol or phenol into the tibialis posterior nerve relive the symptoms and signs of ankle plantar flexor spasticity. METHODS Twenty patients with hemiplegic stroke were included. Patients were randomly assigned to receive a single treatment of alcohol or phenol injection to the motor branches of tibial nerve. Clinical outcom...