Chris Boulias

Revisiting physiologic and psychologic triggers that increase spasticity.

ObjectiveThe aims of this study were to systematically identify and summarize the literature examining the impact of physiologic and psychologic triggers on spasticity and discuss the evidence supporting various types of triggers. DesignPubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PEDro databases were searched using specific keyword combinations. Only studies using clinical tests or self-reports of spasticity were included. ResultsA total of 1152 articles were scanned for relevance, and of 44 relevant articles, 24 were reviewed. Pregnancy, posture, cold, circadian rhythm, and skin conditions increased spasticity and were measured using objective clinical tests. Self-reports of spasticity suggest that triggers such as bowel- and bladder-related issues, menstrual cycle, mental stress, and tight clothing can all increase spasticity. No literature evidence of increase in spasticity in response to heterotopic ossification, hemorrhoids, deep vein thrombosis, fever, and sleep patterns was found. ConclusionsAlthough self-reports indicate a strong possibility of increasing spasticity, without objective examination, the true effects of these triggers on spasticity remain inconclusive. Most studies reviewed here were performed in the spinal cord injury population; therefore, it is not known whether these triggers induce similar effects in persons with other neurologic etiologies.

Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Patients Enrolled in an Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Program

OBJECTIVE To report the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in an inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit and to explore correlations with functional status and health-related quality of life. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS Consecutive patients (N=45; mean age, 67+/-12y) (28 men) enrolled in inpatient rehabilitation after ischemic (84%) or hemorrhagic stroke (16%). INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Overnight respiratory polysomnography was performed on all subjects. Interviewer-administered scales of sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and functional status (FIM, Barthel Index) were completed. Health-related quality of life was assessed by using a general questionnaire (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey [SF-36]). RESULTS Of the 45 subjects tested, only 4 (9%) had an apnea-hypopnea index of less than 10 per hour. The mean apnea-hypopnea index was 32.2 (19.4) per hour; most events were obstructive. There was no relationship between the respiratory index and the components of SF-36 (P values>.2). CONCLUSIONS There was a dramatically high prevalence of respiratory events in patients after stroke enrolled in an inpatient stroke rehabilitation unit. The awareness of this will influence patient evaluation and management.

Assessing the neurophysiological effects of botulinum toxin treatment for adults with focal limb spasticity: a systematic review

To examine effectiveness of botulinum toxin therapy (BoNT), accurate quantification of the neurological component of underlying spasticity is needed. Purpose: Systematically identify and summarize literature on neurophysiological methods to test the effectiveness of BoNT, discuss methodological aspects, and recommend best techniques for clinical and research settings. Methods: Electronic databases were searched using specific keywords. Reviews and reference lists were hand-checked to find relevant studies. Studies in adults with focal limb spasticity were included. Results: Over 300 articles were scanned for relevance, and a list of 90 relevant articles was made. After excluding reviews and studies in healthy controls or non-spasticity related BoNT, 22 articles were reviewed. Neurophysiological techniques included electromyography (EMG; n = 11), electrical nerve stimulation (n = 13), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS; n = 1), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; n = 1), reflex threshold (n = 4), Achilles tendon reflex (n = 1), reflex latency (n = 1). Discussion: Maximum M-wave amplitude (M-max) and stretch reflex threshold techniques were successfully used to measure the neurophysiological effects of BoNT and have high test-retest reliability. EMG techniques require effective magnitude normalization techniques and establishing test-retest reliability. Conclusion: Serial electrical nerve stimulation can be incorporated into clinical practice to assist in follow-up. We recommend using M-max and stretch reflex threshold techniques to assess the neurophysiological effects. Implications for Rehabilitation Botulinum toxin decreases muscle tone and is widely used to manage focal limb spasticity. Peripheral nerve electrical stimulation to assess the maximal muscle response and stretch reflex threshold are useful ways of assessing the onset and duration of the neurophysiological effect of botulinum toxin.

The impact of post-stroke spasticity and botulinum toxin on standing balance: a systematic review

Although falls, balance impairment, and spasticity are common post-stroke, their interrelationship remains unclear. We review the literature for a) a relationship between spasticity and balance and b) the effect of botulinum toxin injections on balance. Electronic databases were searched based on two criteria: a) studies assessing balance in subjects with spasticity and b) studies examining the effect of botulinum toxin on balance. The primary findings were a) balance is impaired in subjects with spasticity, but only one study assessed relationship between spasticity and balance; and b) four studies reported that balance improves following botulinum treatment for limb spasticity. Persons with spasticity demonstrate impaired balance, but the correlation between spasticity and balance has not been adequately assessed in the literature. Evidence for balance changes following botulinum toxin is weak because of lack of randomization, control group comparison, objective balance assessment measures, and standard clinical scales.

Relationship Between Botulinum Toxin, Spasticity, and Pain: a Survey of Patient Perception

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of pain in adults with spasticity and to assess the association between the subjective experience of pain and spasticity. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING outpatient spasticity management clinic of a rehabilitation centre. PATIENTS Patients with upper motor neuron lesions and spasticity (n=131) were recruited. METHODS We assessed pain intensity and location, relationship between spasticity and pain perception, and perception of pain relief from botulinum toxin type-A (BoNTA) injections. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Pain perception rated on a 10-point numerical rating scale and pain quality. RESULTS 65% of the patients with spasticity reported presence of pain and 60% described it as an aching pain. More patients reported pain with movement (34%) compared to rest (21%). There was a statistically poor correlation between the severity of pain and spasticity (r=0.16; p>0.05). Most patients (80%) believed that their pain was related to spasticity and 62% reported that BoNTA injections decreased their pain. CONCLUSIONS The high incidence of pain noted within our sample suggests that physicians may have to consider pain management as part of spasticity treatment. Participants reported that their pain was related to their spasticity, and that it decreased after BoNTA treatment. Further study is needed to explore the relationships between objective measures of spasticity and pain.

Patient-Identified Factors That Influence Spasticity in People with Stroke and Multiple Sclerosis Receiving Botulinum Toxin Injection Treatments

PURPOSE To describe the nature, extent, and impact of spasticity; determine factors that are perceived to influence its severity; and examine the relationship between time since diagnosis and impact of spasticity on daily activities in people with stroke and multiple sclerosis (MS) who are receiving botulinum toxin injection treatments. METHODS After a cross-sectional telephone survey, descriptive statistics and correlations were analyzed separately for the stroke and MS groups. RESULTS A total of 29 people with stroke and 10 with MS were surveyed. Both groups perceived increased spasticity with outdoor cold (69% stroke, 60% MS), muscle fatigue (59% stroke, 80% MS), and mental stress (59% stroke, 90% MS). No statistically significant correlations were found between time since diagnosis and perceived impact of spasticity on function in the stroke (r=0.07, p=0.37) or MS (r=0.16, p=0.33) groups. The MS group experienced bilateral and more severe perception of spasticity in the legs than the stroke group and identified more factors as worsening their spasticity (p<0.05). Severity of leg (but not arm) spasticity was significantly correlated with severity of impact of the following factors in the MS group only: lying on the back (r=0.70, p<0.05), outdoor heat (r=0.61, p<0.05), and morning (r=0.59, p<0.05). CONCLUSION Intrinsic and extrinsic triggers can influence the perception of spasticity differently depending on individual factors, severity, location (arm vs. leg), and distribution of spasticity (unilateral vs. bilateral). Clinicians can use the findings to better understand, educate, and treat people with stroke and MS.

Intrafusal effects of botulinum toxin injections for spasticity: revisiting a previous paper.

Botulinum toxin, frequently used to manage focal limb spasticity, has been reported to affect both extrafusal and intrafusal fibers of the injected muscle. Since most studies have used spinal reflexes, it is difficult to isolate the intrafusal effects from extrafusal and central effects. In a paper by On et al. [7], both stretch and H-reflexes were used to examine the intrafusal effects of botulinum toxin injections. Revisiting the data from On et al. [7] presented a unique opportunity to describe a novel method of measuring the effect of botulinum toxin-A on muscle spindle activity in patients with spasticity. H-reflex, maximum M-wave, and Achilles tendon reflex were serially assessed in ten patients with stroke pre-, 2, 4, and 12 weeks post-botulinum. In order to assess the intrafusal effects, we subtracted the %change in H-reflex amplitude from baseline (representing extrafusal and central effects) from the %change in Achilles tendon reflex amplitude from baseline (representing intrafusal, extrafusal and central effects). Using this formula, our results suggest that botulinum induces significant chemodenervation of the intrafusal muscle fibers (33% decreases). Intrafusal effects were greatest at 2 weeks, but tapered off by 12 weeks post-botulinum (p<0.017). We found a significant positive correlation between the intrafusal effects of botulinum toxin and changes in modified Ashworth scale. Our method of assessing the effects of botulinum toxin shows significant effect on intrafusal fibers, which correlates with clinical manifestation of spasticity. Future studies need to investigate ways to maximize intrafusal effects and minimize extrafusal effects of botulinum therapy.

Effect of topical anesthetics on needle insertion pain during botulinum toxin type A injections for limb spasticity.

OBJECTIVE To compare pain perception using 3 anesthetics (eutectic mixture of local anesthetics [EMLA], vapocoolant spray, and ice) compared with a control (no anesthetic) during botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injections for lower limb spasticity. DESIGN A placebo-controlled, single-blinded study where each study patient served as their own control. SETTING Spasticity clinic. PARTICIPANTS Subjects (N=30) with ankle spasticity who visited the clinic for BTX-A injections in the gastrocnemius muscle were consecutively sampled. INTERVENTION The gastrocnemius muscle was divided into 4 quadrants and 1 of the 3 different anesthetic agents was applied to each quadrant with 1 quadrant using no anesthetic, control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Wong-Baker FACES scale. RESULTS Pain perception using the NRS and FACES scale was significantly lower using ice and EMLA compared with control and spray conditions (P<.05). Pain perception using EMLA and ice was similar. These results indicate that patients experience minimal to moderate pain during BTX-A injections. CONCLUSIONS Pain relief offered by EMLA and ice was comparable, suggesting that ice is a more convenient option because of brief application time (compared with EMLA). Spray may have made the patients more sensitive to pain and alternative approaches for using vapocoolant should be considered.

The effect of neural lesion type on botulinum toxin dosage: a retrospective chart review.

It is difficult to compare the dosage of botulinum toxin between different neurologic conditions because of the different methods of reported dosages. Botulinum toxin is used to manage spasticity in variety of neurologic conditions, and it is important for clinicians to know whether there are differences in the dosage injected on the basis of the etiology of spasticity.

Adverse Clinical Effects of Botulinum Toxin Intramuscular Injections for Spasticity.

OBJECTIVE The adverse events (AEs) with botulinum toxin type-A (BoNTA), used for indications other than spasticity, are widely reported in the literature. However, the site, dose, and frequency of injections are different for spasticity when compared to the treatment for other conditions and hence the AEs may be different as well. The objective of this study was to summarize the AEs reported in Canada and systematically review the AEs with intramuscular botulinum toxin injections to treat focal spasticity. METHODS Data were gathered from Health Canada (2009-2013) and major electronic databases. RESULTS In a 4 year period, 285 AEs were reported. OnabotulinumtoxinA (n=272 events): 68% females, 53% serious, 18% hospitalization, and 8% fatalities. The type of AEs reported were - muscle weakness (19%), oropharyngeal (14%), respiratory (14%), eye related (8%), bowel/bladder related (8%), and infection (5%). IncobotulinumtoxinA (n=13): 38% females, 62% serious, and 54% hospitalization. The type of AEs reported were - muscle weakness (15%), oropharyngeal (15%), respiratory (38%), eye related (23%), bowel/bladder related (15%), and infection (15%). Commonly reported AEs in the literature were muscle weakness, pain, oropharyngeal, bowel/bladder, blood circulation, neurological, gait, and respiratory problems. CONCLUSION While BoNTA is useful in managing spasticity, future studies need to investigate the factors that can minimize AEs. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the AEs can also improve guidelines for BoNTA administration and enhance outcomes.