Knowledge Hub
Explore clear, evidence-based guides to spasticity, assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and daily life. Start with the foundations or go directly to a focused guide. Each article includes sources, related reading and a medical disclaimer.
Foundation guides
What Is Spasticity?
Understand why spasticity occurs, how it differs from ordinary muscle tightness and when it may need treatment.
Causes and Conditions
Learn how stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and brain injury can lead to spasticity.
Assessment
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Review common signs, clinical assessment, the Modified Ashworth Scale, the Tardieu Scale and functional goal setting.
Spasticity After Stroke
See how post-stroke spasticity develops, how it is assessed and how treatment changes across recovery.
Treatment and rehabilitation
Spasticity Treatment
Compare goal-based rehabilitation, oral medication, botulinum toxin, intrathecal baclofen and other options.
Rehabilitation
Learn how movement, strengthening, task practice, positioning, splints and follow-up fit into care.
Living with spasticity
Daily Life and Self-Management
Practical guidance on triggers, sleep, skin care, hygiene, dressing, travel and caregiver safety.
Focused Treatment Guides
Go deeper into botulinum toxin, oral medicines and intrathecal baclofen pumps.
Focused guides
- Botulinum toxin injections for spasticity
- Oral medications for spasticity
- Intrathecal baclofen pumps
- Spasticity after stroke
How we use evidence
Articles prioritize current clinical guidance, consensus statements, systematic reviews and trusted health organizations. Sources are listed on each page. The site does not claim medical review by a clinician unless a real, identified reviewer has participated. Read our Editorial Policy.
Medical disclaimer
This website is a public information service. It does not provide diagnosis or personal medical advice and should not replace care from a qualified professional.
New and recently updated guides
The latest additions to the knowledge library, organized as direct pathways to practical, evidence-based information.
Spasticity in Cerebral Palsy
Symptoms, functional goals and rehabilitation options across childhood and adult life.
How Is Spasticity Measured?
The Modified Ashworth Scale, Tardieu Scale and why functional assessment matters.
Spasticity, Rigidity and Dystonia
How these movement patterns differ and why the distinction changes treatment planning.
Spasticity vs. Contracture
Dynamic muscle overactivity, fixed shortening and the implications for assessment and treatment.
Spasticity at Night
Muscle spasms, pain, sleep disruption, common triggers and safer nighttime strategies.
Hand and Arm Spasticity
How upper-limb spasticity affects function, palm hygiene, dressing and treatment goals.
Splints and Orthoses for Spasticity
How individualized fitting, wearing schedules and skin checks support comfort, hygiene and mobility, and where the evidence has limits.
Why Spasticity Suddenly Gets Worse
Common triggers, a practical check sequence, warning signs and when a sudden change needs urgent assessment.
Spasticity and Pain
Why spasticity may hurt, how clinicians distinguish muscle, joint, nerve, skin and medical causes, and what to record before an assessment.
Stretching and Exercise for Spasticity
What stretching may help with, how to combine movement and strengthening, and how to practise without forcing pain or a fixed joint.
Spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis
Symptoms, common triggers, assessment and treatment options, with attention to fatigue, function and day-to-day management.
Setting Goals for Spasticity Treatment
How to choose meaningful, measurable priorities for function, comfort, daily care, safety and participation, and how to review progress.
Spasticity After Spinal Cord Injury
Understand stiffness and spasms after spinal cord injury, common bladder, bowel, skin and positioning triggers, assessment, treatment and urgent warning signs.
A Caregiver’s Guide to Spasticity
Practical guidance on safer positioning, personal care, transfers, skin checks, equipment and daily routines for families and caregivers.
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy for Spasticity
Learn how SDR reduces lower-limb spasticity, who may be assessed, what rehabilitation involves, and which benefits, limitations and risks families should discuss.
Spasticity After Traumatic Brain Injury
Understand common patterns after TBI, how spasticity is assessed and how rehabilitation and medical treatment are selected around meaningful goals.
Spastic Gait and Lower-Limb Spasticity
Understand foot drop, scissoring and stiff-knee walking, how clinicians distinguish spasticity from weakness or contracture, and how treatment is matched to function and safety.
Phenol Neurolysis for Spasticity
When is a phenol nerve block considered, how is it performed and what should patients know about benefits, risks and rehabilitation?
Spasticity and Falls
Learn how spasticity may contribute to falls, what a complete assessment includes and practical ways to make mobility safer.
Spasticity and Fatigue: Why Movement Takes More Effort
Understand why movement may use more energy and how pacing, rehabilitation and targeted treatment can support everyday participation.
Travelling with Spasticity: Medication, Equipment, Seating and Safer Planning
A practical guide to medication, mobility equipment, airport assistance, seating, transfers, pressure care and warning signs.
Clonus, Muscle Spasms and Spasticity: What Is the Difference?
Learn how rhythmic clonus, involuntary muscle spasms and velocity-dependent spasticity differ, how they are assessed and when a change needs medical attention.
Functional Electrical Stimulation for Spasticity and Foot Drop
How gait-triggered FES works, who may benefit, how it differs from NMES, and what assessment, safety and follow-up involve.
Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Spasticity Management
Understand HSP symptoms, inheritance, genetic testing and practical approaches to rehabilitation and spasticity care.
Serial Casting for Spasticity and Contracture
How serial casting works, who may benefit, how it differs from a splint, and which risks require prompt review.
Working and Studying with Spasticity
Practical guidance on ergonomics, pacing, equipment, adjustments and recognising when changing symptoms need clinical review.
Massage and Manual Therapy for Spasticity
What massage may help, what the evidence does not prove, how to set a useful goal and when hands-on treatment needs extra caution.
Spasticity, Sexuality and Intimacy
Practical, respectful guidance on comfort, positioning, fatigue, medicines, communication and when to seek clinical advice.
Associated Reactions and Spastic Co-Contraction
Why an affected arm may flex during walking after stroke, how this differs from spasticity and co-contraction, and how the pattern is assessed.
Ultrasound and EMG Guidance for Botulinum Toxin Injections
How ultrasound, EMG and electrical stimulation help clinicians find a target muscle, and what patients can expect during a guided injection.
Aquatic Therapy for Spasticity
What water-based rehabilitation may offer for balance, mobility, pain and confidence—and how to plan pool temperature, access and supervision safely.
24-Hour Postural Management for Spasticity
How to coordinate sitting, lying, standing and supportive equipment across the day while protecting comfort, function, skin and safety.
Driving with Spasticity
Understand how symptoms, medication, transfers and professionally selected vehicle adaptations are considered in a safer driving plan.
Spasticity and Bone Health
How limited mobility and neurological conditions affect bone strength, how fragility fractures may present, and how assessment, prevention and safer movement can help.
Spasticity During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Practical, patient-centred guidance on medication review, mobility, transfers, labour planning and safer postpartum recovery when living with spasticity.