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Pharmacotherapy of Muscle Spasm and Spasticity
Pharmacotherapy of Muscle Spasm and Spasticity
Muscle Spasm
• are involuntary contraction of muscles that are usually localized to a specific
muscle group. As the muscle contracts and tightens, the spasm causes sudden,
intense pain, which slowly diminishes after few minutes
• If it occurs in the legs, patient refer to the condition as a Charley horse or Cramp
The term "charley horse" is also used to describe simple painful muscle cramps in
the leg or foot, especially those that follow strenuous exercise. (The term may
date back to American baseball slang of the 1880s, possibly from the pitcher
Charlie Radbourn who is said to have suffered from cramps.[9] Another story
mentions a horse named Charley that used to work at the Chicago White Sox's
baseball stadium. In those days, an old, retired horse was often called "Charlie”).
• The most common etiology of muscle spasm is injury to a skeletal muscle.
• Muscle Spasm usually occurs when muscle is over used or suffers trauma,
hypocalcemia.
Muscle Spasticity
o Is a condition caused by damage to the CNS in which certain muscle groups
remain in a continuous state of contraction
o Spasticity , also referred to as hypertonia, causes pain that is more intense than
muscle spasm
o Associated with neuromuscular disease that are result of damage to the motor
region in cerebral cortex, the region of the brain that controls muscle movement.
o Acute spasticity may begin only a few days following brain and spinal cord
injury.
o Drugs
o 1. Central Acting Skeletal Muscle Relaxants.
o Baclofan
Route: PO, but it can be administered intrathecal infusion through
a lumbar puncture for severe spasticity.
This drug is delivered in the intrathecal space, using a catheter and
a pump.This provides a direct route for the baclofen to reach its
site in the spinal cord.The pump consist of small metal disk that is
surgically placed under the skin at the waistline. The healthcare
provider determines the amount of drug to be release by the pump
and the dosing schedule. The pump is refilled every 3 months and
the battery last 5-7 years.
o