close

Can spasticity after a spinal cord injury be confused with voluntary movement? - T. George Hornby, PhD, PT

Can spasticity after a spinal cord injury be confused with voluntary movement?

T. George Hornby, PhD, PT

Research Scientist, Sensory Motor Performance Program, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Read Bio More Videos by T. George Hornby
Transcript
Sometimes spasticity can be confused with voluntary movement. Sometimes people actually use their spasms when they actually do tasks. Spasms are reflexes, like you go to a doctor and the doctor taps on your tendon, that's a reflex, we all have th... Show More

Sometimes spasticity can be confused with voluntary movement. Sometimes people actually use their spasms when they actually do tasks. Spasms are reflexes, like you go to a doctor and the doctor taps on your tendon, that's a reflex, we all have that. Patients with spinal cord injury often times have exaggerated reflex, so I tap on their tendon, and their leg goes kicking up really high. We need those reflexes to walk. Intact people utilize those reflexes to walk, spinal cord injured individuals actually use these reflexes, often times, to walk. So it's really important that, it' nice to know they're there. If you don't have them, that tends to be a negative sign for recovery walking.

Show Less
add

Can spasticity after a spinal cord injury be confused with voluntary movement?

T. George Hornby, PhD, PT

Research Scientist, Sensory Motor Performance Program, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

More Videos by T. George Hornby
Transcriptadd

Sometimes spasticity can be confused with voluntary movement. Sometimes people actually use their spasms when they actually do tasks. Spasms are reflexes, like you go to a doctor and the doctor taps on your tendon, that's a reflex, we all have that. Patients with spinal cord injury often times have exaggerated reflex, so I tap on their tendon, and their leg goes kicking up really high. We need those reflexes to walk. Intact people utilize those reflexes to walk, spinal cord injured individuals actually use these reflexes, often times, to walk. So it's really important that, it' nice to know they're there. If you don't have them, that tends to be a negative sign for recovery walking.

Can spasticity after a spinal cord injury be confused with voluntary movement?
close