Today, AAPM&R released spasticity guidance to assist PM&R providers in the management of spasticity. Spasticity is a common challenge for many conditions that PM&R physicians treat with diverse functional impacts and health disparities. Our member data suggests more than 50% of PM&R physicians have the expertise and position to treat individuals with spasticity.
Throughout this document, we provide a condensed review of evidence for the assessment and management of spasticity to offer practical, consensus-based recommendations to guide the management of patients presenting with spasticity.
“Physicians have a growing toolbox of treatments for spasticity,” said guidance author Dr. Preeti Raghavan, MBBS. “When patients or their caregivers recognize the symptoms of spasticity and seek treatment for those symptoms, we have even better chances to manage and treat their spasticity symptoms through a range of therapies.”
AAPM&R has long been involved in this area as PM&R has firmly established its value in treating individuals with spasticity. So far, we have:
- Hosted the first-ever AAPM&R Spasticity Summit in December 2022, convening a select group of 29 medical professionals, disability advocates, government officials, researchers, industry representatives and insurers, all working together to discuss the barriers and potential solutions for improved care and support for spasticity patients.
- Created the STEP Interventional Spasticity Certificate Program, which teaches and assesses interventional spasticity skills using a standardized, progressive and competency-based curriculum with both online and live components.
- Launched a Spasticity Member Community to enhance education of comprehensive spasticity management.
Please join us in sharing this important guidance with your colleagues to support patients.
CURIOUS ABOUT STARTING A SUCCESSFUL SPASTICITY PRACTICE?
Join our upcoming session, Outpatient Mastermind Series: Developing a Successful Spasticity Practice, on Monday, June 17 at 7 pm (CT). This session will focus on practice management strategies for PM&R physicians at any stage of practice. Panelists will share how they started their practices, challenges they’ve encountered and strategies for achieving success across a range of practice settings. Learn more and register.