Overview

What Is Spasticity?

Spasticity is an abnormal increase in muscle tone that causes muscles to continually contract. Continual contraction of the muscles leads to tightness or stiffness of the muscles that can interfere with movement.

While the exact number of people affected by spasticity is not known for sure, it is likely that it affects more than half a million people in the United States and more than 12 million worldwide. Spasticity is a common complication of:

• Cerebral palsy
• Brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Multiple sclerosis
• Stroke