Article

Spasticity is a commonly seen symptom in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
The vast majority of patients will suffer from this symptom during the course of
the disease, and one- third of patients considers that spasticity contributes to
a greater part of their disability.
The symptom is frequently disabling. It can,
however, allow some activities to be performed.
Treatment of the symptom is
sometimes deleterious, which is why strict assessment of the consequences of
spasticity and anticipation of the outcome of antispastic treatment are
necessary. Clinical scales, such as the Ashworth and Tardieu scales, are used in
clinical practice. The essential element is not, however, assessment of the
symptom, but its repercussions on activities of everyday life. It is important to
make a list of what patients consider to be disabling situations to verify that
they are truly consequences of spasticity. Considering the heterogeneity of
clinical expression of spasticity in patients with MS, the use of a scale such as goal attainment scaling (GAS) can probably be totally adapted for the assessment of the effects of antispastic treatment.
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Langue : FRANCAIS