Studies suggest that deficits in central regulation of stretch reflex thresholds (SRT) underlie both spasticity and other disorders of motor control. We investigated intra- and inter-evaluator reliability to quantify spasticity based on tonic SRT (TSRT) and the relationship between TSRT and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS, clinical assessment of resistance to stretch). Spasticity was evaluated in 20 subjects with chronic stroke-related spasticity in two different days, by three evaluators. Twenty different velocity-dependent dynamic SRT (angle where biceps brachii EMG signal increased for a given velocity of stretch) were recorded. TSRT (excitability of motoneurons at 0°/sec) was then computed. Spasticity was also estimated with MAS. Reliability was moderately good for subjects with moderately high spasticity (intra--evaluator: 0.46 to 0.68, inter--evaluator: 0.53 to 0.68). There was no correlation between TSRT and MAS since they measure different phenomena. TSRT is a promising new measure of spasticity. Further improvements for its quantification are suggested.

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