Spasticity is a condition that causes stiff, tight muscles, especially in the arms and legs. It makes movements stiff, jerky or uncontrollable.
Spasticity varies from mild to severe, and is different for every individual.
Its impact on each individual function also varies. Spasticity often occurs in people with brain injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury. It results from a disorder of or injury to the central nervous system. Using the spinal cord as a pathway, complex messages continuously move back and forth between the muscles and the brain. Normally, muscle groups in the nervous system work together so when one is flexed, its opposing muscle is relaxed.