Assessment of Spinal Cord Injury Spasticity in Clinical Trials

Spasticity continues to be a significant problem for many people with spinal cord injury, and current therapies are not ideal. Attempts to identify and test new interventions for spasticity are hampered by the lack of a consensus definition of spasticity. Because of the complexity of this disorder, a multidimensional approach to assessment is necessary to understand the scope of functionally important symptoms experienced by patients. This multidimensional assessment should include both objective and subjective assessments of tonic spasticity, phasic spasticity, and involuntary spasms as well as function and quality of life. Measuring only one component of spasticity in a clinical trial is likely to underestimate the benefits of a new intervention.