God, I hope someone sends this to William M. Landau, the guy who doesn't believe spasticity needs treatment.
The Human and Economic Burden of Poststroke Spasticity and Muscle Overactivity
ABSTRACT
• Objective: To present an overview of the human
and economic burden of poststroke spasticity and
muscle overactivity.
• Methods: Literature review.
• Results: The burden of stroke for patients, their
caregivers, and society is enormous. Stroke can result
in markedly diminished quality of life (QOL), loss
of productivity, and considerable economic costs.
The subset of stroke patients who have poststroke
spasticity experience additional burdens. Patients
with poststroke spasticity represent at least 20% of
all stroke patients. Poststroke spasticity can manifest
in multiple ways, with potentially profound and detrimental
effects on patient function and QOL. The risk
of falling is higher among stroke patients than in the
general population, and even higher in poststroke
spasticity patients, with the consequent risk of fractures.
Estimated direct costs for poststroke spasticity
patients are 4 times higher than those for stroke
patients without residual spasticity.
• Conclusion: The burden of poststroke spasticity is
high in terms of treatment costs, QOL consequences,
caregiver burden, and the effects of comorbidities
such as falls and fractures.
Lots more at the URL.
Thanks for the article. I deal with poststroke spasticity and so frustrating when Drs. clump everyone together. I was getting better quickly right after stroke but about 6 months out spasticity started to set in and my functions decreased. Yes getting better still at 21 months but still working on muscle tone and my whole right side.
ReplyDelete