Do you know how to help people with muscle tightness, spasticity, or clonus? And what if someone has more than one of these conditions at the same time?

Little information in the nursing literature.

 

In “Managing Movement Disorders: A Clinical Review,” their CE article in this month’s AJN, Rozina Bhimani and colleagues provide an excellent guide to the assessment and pathophysiology of, and treatment for, each of these conditions. There is very little in the nursing literature on their management, so this article by nurse experts who work with these symptoms every day is particularly enlightening and helpful.

The authors point out that muscle tightness, spasticity, and clonus are not always interpreted accurately by clinicians. This can lead to less-than-optimal treatment.

“Neuromuscular signs and symptoms occur across a multitude of diseases and injuries . . . . Successful symptom management requires effective communication about symptoms, yet there are often discrepancies between patient and provider descriptions of neuromuscular symptoms and manifestations.”

Different practice settings.

People with these symptoms are encountered in many different practice settings (and sometimes, also at home), yet those of us who are not neuro nurses may not have the latest information about managing these symptoms in the context of the patient’s overall neuromuscular status. Did you know that spasticity and clonus are not progressive in nature, but may be exacerbated? Or that muscle tightness can progress if not well managed at the time of injury?