Spasticity and muscle contracture following stroke

It has become increasingly recognized that the major functional deficits following brain damage are largely due to 'negative ' features such as weakness and loss of dexterity rather than spasticity. A variety of studies suggest that spasticity is a distinct problem and separate from the loss of dexterity, but that it may be implicated in the formation of muscle contracture and even in the recovery of strength. In order to address these issues, we examined the relationship between spasticity, contracture, strength and dexterity in the affected upper limb following stroke. Spasticity was measured both as increased tonic stretch reflexes and increased resistance to passive stretch (hyper-tonia). Twenty-four patients were recruited non-selectively from three rehabilitation units within 13 months of their stroke. Few patients exhibited increased tonic reflexes bu