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Spasticity-assessment: a review.

F Biering-Sørensen¹, J B Nielsen, K Klinge

¹Clinic for Spinal Cord Injuries, the NeuroScience Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark.

|April 26, 2006

Summary

Assessing spasticity and spasms in spinal cord injury patients requires reliable methods. Current clinical tools like the Ashworth scale have limited reliability, necessitating advancements in biomechanical and electrophysiological assessments.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Rehabilitation Medicine
Clinical Assessment

Background:

Spasticity and spasms are common complications following spinal cord lesions.
Accurate assessment is crucial for effective management and rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the validity and reliability of commonly used methods for assessing spasticity and spasms.
To focus on assessment techniques applicable to individuals with spinal cord lesions.

Main Methods:

A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
Assessment methods were categorized into clinical, biomechanical, and electrophysiological.
The correlation between these different assessment types was evaluated.

Main Results:

Clinical methods like the Ashworth and modified Ashworth scales offer semi-quantitative measures but suffer from limited interrater reliability.
Biomechanical methods (e.g., isokinetic dynamometers) provide objective, quantitative data but have limited daily clinical utility.
Electrophysiological methods offer insights into pathophysiology but are not practical for routine clinical assessment.

Conclusions:

A combination of electrophysiological and biomechanical techniques shows potential for comprehensive characterization of the spastic syndrome.
There is a significant need for simple, reliable instruments that provide quantitative measures with low interrater variability for spasticity assessment.

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