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Spasticity is stiff or rigid muscles with exaggerated, deep tendon reflexes (for example, a knee-jerk reflex). The condition can interfere with walking, movement, or speech.
See also: Muscle spasticity
Spasticity generally results from damage to the part of the brain that controls voluntary movement. It may also occur when you have damage to the nerves traveling from brain down to spinal cord.
Symptoms of spasticity include:
Spasticity may also interfere with speech. Severe, long-term spasticity may lead to contracture of muscles, causing joints to be bent at a fixed position.
This list is not all inclusive.
Goetz, CG. Textbook of Clinical Neurology . 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2003: 236, 247, 254.
Goldman L, Ausiello D. Cecil Textbook of Medicine . 22nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2004:2324.
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