Upper Limb Spasticity In Patients Research Articles

Classification of upper limb spasticity patterns in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot observational study.

The aim of this study was to provide a classification of the upper limb patterns in patients with upper limb spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. Pilot observational study. Twenty-five adult patients with multiple sclerosis suffering from upper limb spasticity who underwent one segmental (i.e., proximal and distal upper limb) botulinum toxin treatment cycle were recruited. Patients remained in a sitting position during the evaluation. Upper limb spasticity postures (i.e., postural attitude of a single joint/anatomical region) were evaluated and recorded for the shoulder (adducted/internally rotated), elbow (flexed/extended), forearm (pronated/supinated/neutral), wrist (flexed/extended/neutral) and hand (fingers flexed/thumb in palm). On the basis of the clinical observations, 6patterns (i.e., sets of limb postures) of upper limb spasticity have been described according to the postures of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and wrist. The patterns of upper limb spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis described by this pilot study do not completely overlap with those observed in patients with post-stroke spasticity. This further supports the need to consider the features of spasticity related to its aetiology in order to manage patients appropriately.

Improving Upper Limb Spasticity in Patients with Stroke by Electroacupuncture Therapy: a Pre- and Post-Treatment Study.

: Post-stroke upper limb spasticity (PS-ULS) causes a decline in the quality of life of patients by reducing their ability to perform normal daily activities. : We performed pre- and post-treatment analyses of the changes in stroke patients with ULS following constant electroacupuncture therapy (EAT). : Thirty patients with PS-ULS underwent 12 sessions of EAT over 4 weeks. After performing acupuncture therapy at four acupoints on the affected arm (LI11, LI10, LI4, and TE5), electrostimulation (60 Hz) was performed for 20 min. The modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and the Fugl-Meyer assessment of the upper extremity (FMA-UE) were measured as the outcome variables. : Following EAT, there was a significant decrease in the elbow MAS score (p < 0.001), a significant decrease in the wrist MAS score (p < 0.01), and a significant increase in the FMA-UE score (p < 0.001). Adverse events related to EAT were not reported. : EAT decreased upper limb spasticity and improved functional recovery at the elbow and wrist. Large-scale and rigorous clinical trials are needed to verify the efficacy of EAT.

Effect of Shockwave Intensity on Upper Limb Spasticity in Patients with Stroke

Effect of Shockwave Intensity on Upper Limb Spasticity in Patients with Stroke

Yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training on upper limb spasticity in stroke hemiplegia

To compare the therapeutic effect of yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training and single rehabilitation training on upper limb spasticity in patients with stroke hemiplegia. A total of 60 patients with upper limb spasticity of stroke hemiplegia were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. On the basis of conventional western medication, rehabilitation training was adopted in the control group. On the basis of treatment in the control group, yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture was applied from Jianyu (LI 15) to Binao (LI 14), Quchi (LI 11) to Shaohai (HT 3), Yanglingquan (GB 34) to Yinlingquan (SP 9), Xuanzhong (GB 39) to Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. of the affected side in the observation group. The treatment was given once a day, 5 days were as one course, with a 2-day interval between two courses, 4 courses were required in both groups. The classification of modified Ashworth spasticity scale (MAS), surface integrated electromyogram (iEMG) of affected upper limb and the scores of National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) of upper limb and modified Barthel index (MBI) before and after treatment were observed, the therapeutic effect was evaluated in both groups. ①After treatment, the MAS classification reduced in both groups (P<0.05), the cases of grade 0 to Ⅰ+ in the observation group were more than those in the control group (P<0.05); iEMG values of the maximum isometric voluntary contraction of affected usculus biceps brachii, musculus triceps brachii, musculus flexor carpi, musculus extensor carpi, extensor digitorum, aductor pollicis brevis were increased in both groups (P<0.05), and the variations of iEMG of above muscles on the affected side in the observation group were larger than those in the control group (P<0.05). ②After treatment, the scores of NIHSS were decreased (P<0.05), the scores of FMA, MBI were increased in both groups (P<0.05), and the variations of NIHSS, FMA and MBI scores were larger than those in the control group (P<0.05). ③The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the observation group, which was superior to 70.0% (21/30) in the control group (P<0.05). Yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training can improve upper limb spasticity, heighten the motor function of upper limb and daily self care in patients with stroke hemiplegia, its therapeutic effect is superior to single rehabilitation training.

Influence of physician empathy on the outcome of botulinum toxin treatment for upper limb spasticity in patients with chronic stroke: A cohort study

To examine the relationship between patient-rated physician empathy and outcome of botulinum toxin treatment for post-stroke upper limb spasticity. Cohort study. Twenty chronic stroke patients with upper limb spasticity. All patients received incobotulinumtoxinA injection in at least one muscle for each of the following patterns: flexed elbow, flexed wrist and clenched fist. Each treatment was performed by 1 of 5 physiatrists with equivalent clinical experience. Patient-rated physician empathy was quantified with the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure immediately after botulinum toxin treatment. Patients were evaluated before and at 4 weeks after botulinum toxin treatment by means of the following outcome measures: Modified Ashworth Scale; Wolf Motor Function Test; Disability Assessment Scale; Goal Attainment Scaling. Ordinal regression analysis showed a significant influence of patient-rated physician empathy (independent variable) on the outcome (dependent variables) of botulinum toxin treatment at 4 weeks after injection, as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling (p<0.001). These findings support the hypothesis that patient-rated physician empathy may influence the outcome of botulinum toxin treatment in chronic stroke patients with upper limb spasticity as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling.

Effect of action observation therapy on daily activities and motor recovery in stroke patients

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of action observation therapy, which is based on mirror neuron theory, on upper limb function and activities of daily living in patients with stroke. MethodsSixty-one patients with stroke were randomly divided into two groups; those in the control group received routine rehabilitation treatment and nursing, whereas those in the experimental group additionally received eight weeks of action observation therapy for 30 min, six times per week. Patients receiving action observation therapy watched videos depicting a model performing specific motor actions typically performed in daily life before enacting the same actions themselves. All patients were assessed using the Fugl–Meyer assessment, Barthel index and the modified Ashworth scale at baseline and at eight weeks, after treatment. ResultsAfter the eight weeks of treatment, both groups of patients exhibited significant improvement in all the measurements (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, the Fugl–Meyer assessment, Barthel index and modified Ashworth scale scores were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group (all p < 0.05). ConclusionAction observation therapy significantly improves upper extremity motor function and performance of activities of daily living, and alleviates upper limb spasticity in patients with stroke.

Efficacy of Coupling Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Physical Therapy to Reduce Upper-Limb Spasticity in Patients With Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveTo assess the efficacy of inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for decreasing upper-limb muscle tone after chronic stroke. DesignA randomized sham-controlled trial with a 4-week follow-up. SettingResearch hospital. ParticipantsPatients with stroke (N=20) with poststroke upper limb spasticity. InterventionsThe experimental group received rTMS to the primary motor cortex of the unaffected side (1500 pulses; 1Hz; 90% of resting motor threshold for the first dorsal interosseous muscle) in 10 sessions, 3d/wk, and physical therapy (PT). The control group received sham stimulation and PT. Main Outcome MeasuresModified Ashworth scale (MAS), upper-extremity Fugl-Meyer assessment, FIM, range of motion, and stroke-specific quality-of-life scale. All outcomes were measured at baseline, after treatment (postintervention), and at a 4-week follow-up. A clinically important difference was defined as a reduction of ≥1 in the MAS score. ResultsFriedman test revealed that PT is efficient for significantly reducing the upper limb spasticity of patients only when it is associated with rTMS. In the experimental group, 90% of the patients at postintervention and 55.5% at follow-up showed a decrease of ≥1 in the MAS score, representing clinically important differences. In the control group, 30% of the patients at postintervention and 22.2% at follow-up experienced clinically meaningful changes. There were no differences between the groups at any time for any of the other outcome measures, indicating that both groups demonstrated similar behaviors over time for all variables. ConclusionsrTMS associated with PT can be beneficial in reducing poststroke spasticity. However, more studies are needed to clarify the clinical changes underlying the reduction in spasticity induced by noninvasive brain stimulations.

Intra-rater reliability of the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS) in the assessment of upper-limb muscle spasticity

The aim of this study was to investigate the intra-rater reliability of the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS) in the upper limb of patients with hemiparesis and to determine the effect of pain and contracture presence on the reliability of the MMAS. For this test-retest study 30 patients with hemiparesis were included. One physiotherapist using the MMAS, randomly rated the spasticity of shoulder adductors, elbow flexors, and wrist flexors in the affected upper limb of each patient with hemiparesis twice with at least a 1 week interval between testing sessions. The presence of pain and contracture during passive stretch was recorded. The magnitude of the contracture was measured by a goniometer. The quadratic weighted kappa statistics was very good for the upper limb spasticity (κw= 0.84). Intra-rater reliability was good for shoulder adductors (κw=0.75), and very good for elbow flexors and wrist flexors (κw 0.86 and 0.90, respectively). There were no differences between the weighted kappa values for muscle groups (p>0.05). The intra-rater reliability was also good in the presence of pain or contracture. The MMAS had very good intra-rater reliability in the assessment of upper limb spasticity in patients with hemiparesis. The presence of pain during shoulder abduction or contracture of the shoulder adductors had no influence on the reliability of the MMAS (κ w=0.75, 0.77, respectively).

Symptomatic upper limb spasticity in patients with chronic stroke attending a rehabilitation clinic: Frequency, clinical correlates and predictors

To document the frequency, clinical correlates and predictors of symptomatic upper limb spasticity in patients one year or more after stroke. Cross-sectional study. A total of 140 patients after stroke attending a rehabilitation clinic. Assessments of spasticity, upper limb function and self-care ability using the Ashworth Scale (AS), Motor Assessment Scale and Modified Barthel Index. We categorized spasticity as: spasticity in general (AS score > or = 1), severe spasticity (AS score > or = 3) and symptomatic spasticity (spasticity affecting upper limb function). The mean age (standard deviation, SD) was 61.0 (SD 13.3) years and patients were evaluated at 41.7 (SD 35.1) months after stroke onset. The observed frequency of spasticity in general, severe spasticity and symptomatic spasticity was 78.6%, 38.6% and 30%, respectively. The total AS score was the most important correlate of symptomatic spasticity; patients with higher scores were likely to be symptomatic (p = 0.001). Severe spasticity was predicted by poor lower extremity power (p = 0.002), high National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score (p = 0.015) and presence of dysphasia (p = 0.046) on admission to rehabilitation. No predictors of symptomatic spasticity could be established. Symptomatic spasticity is relatively common in patients with chronic stroke and is significantly correlated with the severity of spasticity.

Botulinum neurotoxins for post‐stroke spasticity in adults: A systematic review

The aim of this systematic review was to determine whether botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) reduce spasticity or improve function in adult patients after stroke. Eleven double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trials met inclusion criteria. They encompassed 782 patients, 767 (98%) of whom received BoNT/A, and 15 (2%) BoNT/B. Most studies used the Ashworth scale as primary outcome measure. Differences between treated and control groups were assessed as categorical or continuous comparisons. The overall effect on upper limb spasticity was in favor of BoNT/A. A significantly higher number of patients had a reduction of upper limb spasticity at 4-week and 8-week evaluations in the treatment group compared with placebo. Mean changes in joint spasticity revealed improvement 3 to 6 weeks and 9 to 12 weeks after treatment. There were insufficient data to establish BoNT/A efficacy on lower limb spasticity or the effect of BoNT/B on the upper and lower limbs. Because of inconsistency and heterogeneity of the available data, it was not possible to perform a meta-analysis on disability and patients' reported outcomes. There was an overlapping safety profile between the treatment and the placebo groups. BoNT/A reduces upper limb spasticity in patients post-stroke, but the improvement in functional ability remains to be established. This gap needs to be filled by new studies to assess the effect of BoNT in the context of multidisciplinary patient management.

Dose-dependent response to intramuscular botulinum toxin type A for upper-limb spasticity in patients after a stroke

Childers MK, Brashear A, Jozefczyk P, Reding M, Alexander D, Good D, Walcott JM, Jenkins SW, Turkel C, Molloy PT. Dose-dependent response to intramuscular botulinum toxin type A for upper-limb spasticity in patients after a stroke. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:1063–9. Objective To test the hypothesis that intramuscular (IM) botulinum toxin type A (BTX) reduces excessive muscle tone in a dose-dependent manner in the elbow, wrist, and fingers of patients who experience spasticity after a stroke. Design Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, 24-week trial. Setting Six academic and 13 private US outpatient medical centers. Participants Ninety-one patients with a mean age of 60 years (range, 30–79y). Mean time elapsed from ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke to study enrollment was 25.8 months (range, 0.9–226.9mo). Interventions Up to 2 treatments of placebo, or 90, 180, or 360U of BTX. Concurrent splinting and physical therapy protocols were permitted, but no changes were allowed during the study. Main outcome measures Wrist, elbow, and finger flexor tone assessed by the Modified Ashworth Scale, physician and patient global assessments, pain, FIM instrument, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Results Muscle tone decreased more with injections of BTX than with placebo in the wrist flexors at weeks 1, 2, 3, 6, and 9 ( P≤.026); in the elbow flexors at weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 ( P≤.033); and in the finger flexors at weeks 1 and 3 ( P≤.031). A dose-dependent response was generally observed in tone reduction but not in pain, FIM, or SF-36 measures. Conclusions IM BTX reduced muscle tone in a dose-dependent manner in the elbow, wrist, and fingers of patients who experience spasticity after a stroke but did not appear to affect global quality of life or disability.

A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study of the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A in upper limb spasticity in patients with stroke

To study the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin type A (BtxA) in the treatment of upper limb muscle spasticity, caused by stroke. This was a randomized, controlled trial. Patients received either placebo injections or a total of 1000 IU of BtxA (Dysport) into five muscles of the affected arm. Muscle tone was assessed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Other outcome measures were the change in the joint range of motion (ROM), the Barthel index, pain score, goal attainment and the subjective evaluation of benefit by patients and investigators. The patients were assessed blind to randomization at baseline and 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after treatment. Fifty nine patients were recruited and received treatment. One patient was lost to follow-up before the last scheduled visit of the study. The group of patients who received BtxA had a significant reduction in the summed MAS score at week 4 compared with the placebo group (P=0.004). The magnitude of benefit over the 16 week follow-up period was significantly reduced for the BtxA group in the wrist (P=0.004) and the finger joints (P=0.001) when compared with the placebo. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the joint ROM, muscle pain, goal-attainment or the Barthel index scores at week 4 of the study. At week 16, the BtxA group showed significantly greater improvement in the passive ROM at the elbow (P=0.036). The patients' global assessment of benefit at the end of the study showed that 16 (50%) patients in the placebo group had 'much improved' or had 'some improvement' compared with 24 (92.3%) patients in the BtxA group (P=0.007). The investigators' rating for the same item was 16 (50%) and 23 (88.4%) patients, respectively (P=0.002). Sixteen and twenty patients in the BtxA and placebo groups, respectively, had an adverse event. The most frequently reported adverse events were accidental injury, respiratory and urinary tract infections and muscle pain. The findings of the present study suggest that treatment with BtxA in a dose of 1000 units reduces muscle tone in patients with post-stroke upper limb spasticity. This effect is sustained for at least 16 weeks. BtxA is safe in the dose used in this study. IMPORTANT NOTE: The authors wish to emphasize that the botulinum toxin preparation used in this study was Dysport (Ipsen Ltd) which has a different therapeutic equivalence from other commercially available product, Botox (Allergan Inc.).