Spasticity and Dystonia

Spasticity is a type of extreme tension or tone in a muscle. It is a condition in which the stretch reflex is overactive. In the stretch reflex, a muscle is being stretched and the message is sent to the brain via the sensory nerve. The brain then sends a message back to the muscle that might indicate the stretch is too much and might damage the muscle so the motor nerve instructs and causes the muscle to contract. Since the stretch reflex is overactive the result is the muscle stays contracted.

Dystonia refers to a disordered, random tonicity of muscles. It is the random contraction and relaxation of a muscle independent of an ordered response from the nervous system. One clue to dystonia lies in the fact that dystonic movements often increase during activity, nervousness, and emotional stress and diminish during relaxation and disappear completely during sleep.

The pain associated with spasticity and dystonia results from the lack of blood and oxygen to the muscle and the result the muscle contraction has on the surrounding biomechanics.

Diagnosing the underlying cause is as difficult as treatment can be. At times, Botox® injection can provide significant relief.