Spasticity Management: Triggers, Trends, and Treatment
Jointly provided by
Support for this activity has been provided through an educational grant from Allergan, Inc.
Release date: 6/10/2015
Expiration date: 6/10/2016
Estimated time to complete: 1 hour
Overview
Approximately 500,000 people in the United States develop spasticity as a result of an upper motor neuron lesion associated with traumatic brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or stroke. Spasticity causes pain, contractures, and impaired function. Ultimately, patients experience hygiene difficulties and loss of mobility, dexterity, and function. Children with spasticity are at risk of orthopedic deformation. Therefore, assessment and early intervention in patients experiencing spasticity is crucial to improving function, restoring muscle function, and improving patients’ quality of life and ability to perform activities of daily living.
This Virtual Practice features two video-based patient case vignettes that focus on key elements of spasticity management
- Jaqueline has been referred to the Virtual Practice by her neurologist, who diagnosed Jaqueline with multiple sclerosis several months ago. Her major complaints are fatigue and general weakness in her legs.
- Maria, age 13, has been brought to the Virtual Practice by her mother, who is concerned about changes in Maria’s gait. Maria’s mother believes that these changes are related to a traumatic brain injury Maria sustained over 5 years ago.
In this Virtual Practice, learners participate in the assessment of both patients and are encouraged to develop appropriate treatment plans. Also featured is the Resource Library, which houses tools that can aid in the assessment and management of patients with spasticity and can be accessed from the main Virtual Practice map.
Faculty
Richard D. Zorowitz, MD—Program Chair
Attending Physician, Outpatient Physician Services
MedStar National Rehabilitation Network
Washington, DC
Michael F. Saulino, MD, PhD
Physiatrist, MossRehab
Assistant Professor
Jefferson Medical College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Heakyung Kim, MD
Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine
Columbia University Medical Center
Weill Cornell Medical Center
New York, New York
Target Audience
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of neurologists and other health care professionals involved in the care of patients with spasticity due to central nervous system lesions from injury or disease.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
- Describe the clinical impact of spasticity with respect to musculoskeletal complications and quality of life in adults and children
- Describe the advantages and limitations of the clinical tools and grading scales used to evaluate function and magnitude of disability
- Evaluate the benefits and adverse event risks with available therapies for patients with spasticity
- Outline a treatment plan to achieve functional improvement and other goals developed for and with individual patients
Accreditation and Credit Designation
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Penn State College of Medicine and RedMedEd. Penn State College of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Penn State College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Disclosure
Penn State College of Medicine is committed to offering CME programs that promote improvements or quality in health care and are developed free of the control of commercial interests. Reasonable efforts have been taken to ensure that programs are balanced, independent, objective, scientific, and in compliance with regulatory requirements. Faculty, course directors, and planners have disclosed relevant financial relationships with commercial companies, and Penn State has a process in place to resolve any conflict of interest. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone bias but is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of this educational activity. Disclosures are as follows:
Richard D. Zorowitz, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Consultant/Advisor: Allergan, Avanir Pharmaceuticals, NDI Medical, NexStim
Michael F. Saulino, MD, PhD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Consultant/Advisor: Independence Blue Cross, SPR Therapeutics
Speakers Bureau: Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic
Research Grant: Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt, Medtronic
Heakyung Kim, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Consultant/Advisor: Ipsen
Research Grant: Allergan
Penn State College of Medicine
Faculty and staff involved in the development and review of this activity have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
RedMedEd
Denise C. LaTemple, PhD, Director of Scientific Services, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Lauren Showers, Project Manager, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Jonathan S. Simmons, ELS, Senior Managing Editor, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Karen Smith, Creative Director, has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Unapproved Product Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Penn State College of Medicine, RedMedEd, and Allergan, Inc do not recommend the use of any agent outside the labeled indications.
Disclaimer
The information presented in this activity is for continuing medical education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent medical judgment of a physician regarding diagnosis and treatment of a specific patient’s medical condition.
The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of Penn State College of Medicine, RedMedEd, or Allergan, Inc. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Method of Participation
There are no fees to participate in the activity. To receive CME credit, participants must review all activity information (including the learning objectives, disclosure statements, and content) and complete the posttest and program evaluation. Certificates can be printed immediately.
For questions regarding CME credit, contact Penn State Continuing Education at (717) 531-6483 or ContinuingEd@hmc.psu.edu. Please reference activity code G5723-15-T.
Hardware/Software Requirements
- Apple iPad or iPad mini (iOS 7 or higher) with an Internet connection
- A computer with an Internet connection
- Internet browser: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 or higher, Firefox 26 or higher, or Safari 5 or higher
- Additional software: Adobe Flash Player and/or an HTML 5-capable browser is required for video or audio playback; Adobe Acrobat Reader may occasionally be required
Privacy
This website is managed by RedMedEd, and RedMedEd’s privacy policy applies to this site. CME credit for this activity is provided by Penn State College of Medicine. If you register for CME credit for this educational activity, RedMedEd will forward relevant personally identifiable information to Penn State College of Medicine to facilitate maintaining records concerning credits issued to you. RedMedEd may share aggregated data concerning registrations, posttests, and evaluations; no personally identifiable information will be knowingly shared. Penn State College of Medicine may use the information you provide on this site to contact you about your CME credit or other relevant educational activities provided through Penn State College of Medicine. For more information, contact ContinuingEd@hmc.psu.edu.