Normally, muscle groups in the nervous system work together so that when one is flexed, its opposing muscle is relaxed. This helps maintain a comfortable level of muscle tone that provides support for the body and makes movement easy. After a brain injury, the brain may not be able to send or receive these special messages. As a result, the system balance is disturbed so that muscles needlessly stay tight or contracted. This condition is known as spasticity.
Spasticity varies from mild to severe, and is different for every individual.
To determine whether you or your family member are a good candidate for ITB Therapy, your health care professional will give a trial dose of the drug. Using a standard medical procedure, a small amount of the drug is injected into the spinal fluid. Then your health care professional will see how much your muscles relax over the next 6 to 8 hours. No, ITB Therapy is not a cure for severe spasticity or for the conditions with which it is associated. ITB Therapy is used to treat severe spasticity but cannot take away its cause.