Abstract
A thorough assessment of the extent and severity of spasticity, and its effect on
functioning, is central to the effective management of spasticity in persons with
spinal cord damage (SCD). These individuals however do not always receive adequate
assessment of their spasticity. Inadequate assessment compromises management when
the effect of spasticity and/or need for intervention are not fully recognized. Assessment
is also central to determining treatment efficacy. A barrier to spasticity assessment
has been the lack of consensus on clinical and functional measures suitable for routine
clinical practice. To extend on existing work, a working group of the Ability Network
identified and consolidated information on possible measures, and then synthesized
and formulated findings into practical recommendations for assessing spasticity and
its effect on function in persons with SCD. Sixteen clinical and functional measures
that have been used for this purpose were identified using a targeted literature review.
These were mapped to the relevant domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health to assess the breadth of their coverage; coverage of many domains was found to be
lacking, suggesting a focus for future work. The advantages, disadvantages, and usefulness
of the measures were assessed using a range of criteria, with a focus on usefulness
and feasibility in routine clinical practice. Based on this evaluation, a selection
of measures suitable for initial and follow-up assessments are recommended. The recommendations
are intended to have broad applicability to a variety of health care settings where
people with SCD are managed.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health), PROM (patient-reported outcome measure), SCATS (Spinal Cord Assessment Tool for Spastic Reflexes), SCD (spinal cord damage), SCIM (Spinal Cord Independence Measure), WISCI (Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 09, 2018
Footnotes
Disclosures: Medtronic, Inc (Minneapolis, Minnesota) provided sponsorship and logistical support in the form of meeting services, project coordination, literature reviews, and manuscript preparation. Face-to-face meetings were supported by independent facilitators. Scientific direction, work, and dissemination activity was determined independently by the authors.
Identification
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© 2018 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
