Article

OBJECTIVE: To explore, following a literature review, whether there is a
consistent definition and a unified assessment framework for the term
'spasticity'. The congruence between the definitions of spasticity and the
corresponding methods of measurement were also explored. DATA SOURCES: The search
was performed on the electronic databases Web of Science, Science Direct and MEDLINE.
REVIEW METHODS: A systematic literature search of publications written
in English between the years 1980 and 2006 was performed with the following
keywords: spasticity and tone. The search was limited to the following keywords:
stroke, hemiplegia, upper, hand and arm. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty
references contributed to this review (190 clinical trials, 46 literature
reviews, and 14 case reports). Seventy-eight used the Lance definition; 88
equated spasticity with increased muscle tone; 78 provided no definition; and six
others used their own definitions for spasticity. Most papers used a single
measure and some used more than one. Forty-seven papers used neurophysiological
methods of testing, 228 used biomechanical methods of measurement or assessment,
25 used miscellaneous clinical measures (e.g. spasm frequency scales) and 19 did
not explicitly describe a measure. CONCLUSION: The term spasticity is
inconsistently defined and this inconsistency will need to be resolved. Often,
the measures used did not correspond to the clinical features of spasticity that
were defined within a paper (i.e. internal validity was compromised). There is
need to ensure that this lack of congruence is addressed in future research.

Langue : ANGLAIS