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Distinguishing between stiffness, contracture and spasticity There are many secondary complications or adaptations which may (or may not) occur after stroke including.  These can include neural (eg hypertonicity) and non-neural adaptations (eg stiffness, contracture, excessive muscle activity associated with compensatory strategies and early skill acquisition).  Because of the lack of agreement about what spasticity [...]

Disagreement about the Lance spasticity definition A proposed alternative definition of spasticity by Pandyan et al.   Over the years there has been reluctance to accept the Lance definition of spasticity.  This reluctance seems to arise from the observation that there are many changes to the sensori-motor system that may occur after a stroke.  [...]

What is spasticity?Despite many years of debate and investigation there is still no agreement about just what spasticity is, nor a clear understanding of the underlying cause/s of spasticity.  This lack of agreement is shown by the multiple definitions reported in the literature (see Ibuki & Bernhardt 2007 for a review; van den Noort et [...]

Spasticity is a word that is often heard when someone’s movement problems after a stroke are being described.  Yet strangely there is little or no agreement as to what spasticity actually is! Here are a few quotes gleaned from medical sites on the internet: “Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This [...]