ArticleJournal of neurophysiology2020
Bilateral and asymmetrical contributions of passive and active ankle plantar flexors stiffness to spasticity in humans with spinal cord injury.
Article in Journal of neurophysiology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Technology-assisted assessment of spasticity: a systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2022Pooled it
- Descending Brainstem Systems Contribute to Ankle Clonus in Humans with Spinal Cord Injury.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026Article
- Spasticity and Abnormal Tone Regulation After Spinal Cord Injury: Mechanisms and the Effects of Neuromodulation.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Enhanced Reticulospinal Output in Subacute Spinal Cord Injury Patients with Spasticity.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026Article
- Reduced Post-Activation Depression in Humans with Spinal Cord Injury Is Not Related to Stretch Reflex Hyperexcitability.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026Article
- Testing spasticity mechanisms in chronic stroke before and after intervention with contralesional motor cortex 1 Hz rTMS and physiotherapy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2023Article
- Measuring resistance to externally induced movement of the wrist joint in chronic stroke patients using an objective hand-held dynamometer.Clinical neurophysiology practice · 2023Article
- Altered regulation of Ia afferent input during voluntary contraction in humans with spinal cord injury.eLife · 2022Article
- Prevalence of spasticity in humans with spinal cord injury with different injury severity.Journal of neurophysiology · 2022Article
- Distinct patterns of spasticity and corticospinal connectivity following complete spinal cord injury.The Journal of physiology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Spasticity is one of the most common symptoms present in humans with spinal cord injury (SCI); however, its clinical assessment remains underdeveloped. The purpose of the study was to examine the contribution of passive muscle stiffness and active spinal reflex mechanisms to clinical outcomes of spasticity after SCI. It is important that passive and active contributions to increased muscle stiffness are distinguished to make appropriate decisions about antispastic treatments and to monitor its effectiveness. To address this question, we combined biomechanical and electrophysiological assessments of ankle plantarflexor muscles bilaterally in individuals with and without chronic SCI. Spasticity was assessed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and a self-reported questionnaire. We performed slow and fast dorsiflexion stretches of the ankle joint to measure passive muscle stiffness and reflex-induced torque using a dynamometer and the soleus H reflex using electrical stimulation over the posterior tibial nerve. All SCI participants reported the presence of spasticity. While 96% of them reported higher spasticity on one side compared with the other, the MAS detected differences across sides in only 25% of the them. Passive muscle stiffness and the reflex-induced torque were larger in SCI compared with controls more on one side compared with the other. The soleus stretch reflex, but not the H reflex, was larger in SCI compared with controls and showed differences across sides, with a larger reflex in the side showing a higher reflex-induced torque. MAS scores were not correlated with biomechanical and electrophysiological outcomes. These findings provide evidence for bilateral and asymmetric contributions of passive and active ankle plantar flexors stiffness to spasticity in humans with chronic SCI and highlight a poor agreement between a self-reported questionnaire and the MAS for detecting asymmetries in spasticity across sides.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.