How to adjust to muscle tension (spastic) after a stroke & bull; hello healthy

Muscle tension, aka spasticity, is one of the complications that often occurs after a stroke. Usually, muscle tension occurs months or even years after a stroke, and will become more pronounced as you recover. Muscle tension is quite difficult and is an unpleasant problem for stroke sufferers, but there are several solutions to control it.

What is meant by muscle tension or spasticity?

Muscles that feel stiff, tense, immobile and inflexible are known as muscle tension or spasticity.

After a stroke, the arms, legs or even the face will experience paralysis. This paralysis occurs as a result of stroke sufferers not being able to control their muscle movements. However, often after a stroke, muscle weakness occurs in a stiff or tense position and makes the sufferer uncomfortable.

There are times when the sufferer can still move his muscles if the level of spasticity is light, but the resulting movement is even chaotic and unnatural. When you look at it, you can see that the muscles are in an unusual position or are bent at rest.

What is spasticity like?

Often times, the feeling of stiffness and weakness in the muscles makes the sufferer feel that they are moving very slowly or as if they are carrying a heavy load on the muscles. Sometimes, the muscles will feel sore when they are resting or when they are moved. For example, if a person has spasticity in their arms, they are likely to feel muscle tension in the arms or surrounding areas, including the neck or back. Usually, sufferers will not be able to feel pain immediately due to muscle tension after a stroke, but the muscles in the surrounding area will feel sore after months of muscle tension.

What can be done to deal with spasticity?

Always make sure to exercise regularly to prevent recurrence of muscle tension. Sometimes, the sufferer may need help from others to move. Physical therapy and regular home exercises can help reduce muscle tension or spasticity.

Many sufferers of spasticity complain of difficult and uncomfortable physical therapy in its early stages, but over time it has been shown to flex stiff muscles.

Prescription medications that relax muscle tension can be helpful when therapy and exercise are not enough to relieve spasticity. Some people are unable to use muscle relaxants due to side effects, such as fatigue and dizziness.

Other treatment options to relieve spasticity include injections of muscle relaxants or botulinum toxin. These injectable drugs can work in some people, but not all, and often this type of treatment must be repeated at set intervals because the drug's effects wear off after a while.

Are there any recent studies on the recovery of spasticity or muscle tension?

Scientific research studies have proven that spasticity can in fact be cured. Overall it appears that as spasticity recovers, there is evidence to suggest that activity in the part of the brain affected by stroke also begins to recover. Thus, exercising muscles affected by spasticity is one of the many ways to help brain tissue recover after a stroke.

How do I survive if I experience spasticity?

Spasticity does make sufferers uncomfortable and sometimes painful. If you experience symptoms that lead to spasticity, it is important to know that there is a solution and you need not worry.

Even more importantly, if you leave spasticity untreated for a long time, the stiff muscles will get stiffer. Over time, this will make it more difficult for you to move around, causing disability and a cycle that makes stroke recovery difficult.

What is there to remember?

If you think you are experiencing muscle tension or spasticity, talk to your doctor or physical therapist about getting the right treatment for your symptoms of spasticity. Usually, medical treatment or physical therapy is not sufficient to provide maximum results, so it requires ongoing therapy.