Spasticity

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke defines hereditary spastic paraparesis as a group of rare and progressive inherited disorders that cause weakness and stiffness of the legs. In my case, I sometimes feel like my legs can’t support the weight of my body and I am going to drop at any moment, sometimes my legs feel like useless appendages, and sometimes my legs feel like they each weigh 1000 pounds. The bottom line is that my legs don’t work like they used to work. My brain tells them to do something, but my body just will not cooperate.

 

Others wouldn’t know that I have HSP if I was sitting still and just talking to them. It is when I get up and move around that the condition becomes obvious. I am stiff. I am slow. I am off-balance. This is due to spasticity.

What is spasticity? Johns Hopkins Medicine defines spasticity as abnormal muscle tightness due to prolonged muscle contraction. It is a symptom associated with damage to the brain, spinal cord or motor nerves, and is seen in individuals with neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy (CP), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, and hereditary spastic paraparesis (HSP). The Cleveland Clinic explains spasticity as a disruption in muscle movement patterns that causes certain muscles to contract all at once when you try to move or even at rest.

When someone asks what I am experiencing with HSP, I tell them to try walking with their legs constantly flexed or tightened. In my case, that’s what it is and what it feels like. This visual helps people understand why I “swing” my legs around my torso when I walk (circumduction), my short stride, and the reason for my balance issues.

 

Unfortunately, spasticity is not reversible and there is no cure. It occurs day and night. It doesn’t magically go away. The good news is that there are treatments for spasticity that can help alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. Non-surgical treatments include stretching, physical therapy, casting or bracing, Botox injections, and oral medications such as Baclofen.