Post Stroke spasticity is a disabling condition that develops weeks to months after stroke, which can lead to painful spasms, limit range of motion, and produce spastic tremors, clonus, and muscle stiffness. The key predictor of spasticity is the degree of motor impairment; greater motor impairment earlier on predicts later spasticity at 6 months. Early intervention is more effective than intervention provided later. Development of spasticity is a sign of recovery in the initial stages, but when it persists, it contributes to motor disability. While spasticity is triggered by injury to the upper motor neuron, downstream changes in muscles occur which lead to motor disability. These changes can be prevented by providing early rehabilitation, especially in individuals who have greater motor impairment. Overall spasticity and motor disability cost patients hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years if it is not treated adequately early enough. Treatments are evolving with many more therapeutic options available today for post-stroke spasticity than a few years ago. The first line of treatment for spasticity is rehabilitation to restore movement. Other conventional therapies include oral antispasmodics, botulinum toxin injections, baclofen pumps, and casting. Newer modalities include cryo-neurolysis, hyaluronidase injections, and surgical treatments that have increased possibilities for the treatment of more severe spasticity or refractory spasticity. The goal of this session is to provide a comprehensive look at when to use each of the treatments and if combined therapies are beneficial. The speakers and moderators will share their expertise on different aspects of post-stroke spasticity including basic science, clinical research, and clinical management. The speakers will provide their approaches to treating mild-to-severe spasticity using a case discussion and interactive audience response system. The session will also include other topics such as targeted physical and occupational therapies, robotics, and modalities for various aspects of spasticity. We also plan to have an American Heart Association stroke survivor representative who is a neurologist herself who suffers from chronic spasticity, and her perspective can help in learning about the real-world therapeutics she has used to improve her quality of life and functional outcomes. The session’s goal is to increase audience interaction through a case-based approach to the presentation that will lead to practical improvements in functional outcomes and symptom control for patients.

The following speakers are not included in this OnDemand session:

Sheng Li
Prince Thakkar

Preeti Raghavan

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Appearances