Pathophysiology of Spasticity

Following central motor lesions, two forms of adaption can be observed which lead to improved mobility: 1) the development of spastic muscle tone (for review, see Dietz, 2002), and 2) the activation of spinal locomotor centers induced by specific treadmill training (Dietz et al.,1994; for review, see Dietz and Harkema, 2004). Tension development during spastic gait is different from that during normal gait and appears to be independent of exaggerated monosynaptic stretch reflexes. Exaggerated stretch reflexes are associated with an absence or reduction of functionally essential polysynaptic reflexes. When supras…