MANAGING SPASTICITY
02/14/2026
Muscle spasms are the result of yet another missed memo. The motor cells become easy to trigger after SCI, causing muscle twitching, jerking, or stiffening. Changes to muscle structure after injury contribute to muscle stiffness. Reflexes are hyperactive and sometimes the slightest touch, movement or irritation can trigger spasms. Urinary tract infections, constipation, pressure wounds, extreme temperatures, tight clothing, and even emotional distress can all be triggers, too.
In addition to causing uncontrolled flexing (bending) or extending (straightening) of a limb, uncontrolled jerking of the chest, back, abdomen or bladder, spasticity causes muscles to be stiff or tight at rest, which makes it hard to relax or stretch.
Spasticity isn’t all bad. For C6-7 quads spasms may cause your fingers to bend to help you grip objects. Spasms also help preserve muscle mass and improve your body’s body fat composition and metabolism. A change in spasticity may help you identify a medical problem that you might not know about, such as a urinary tract infection.
Spasms are reduced with daily passive range of motion exercise. You might also try arm or leg cycling with functional electrical stimulation (FES) machines that use electrodes to cause muscle contractions so you can get a work out. You'll probably try medications such as Baclofen or Benzodiazepine muscle relaxers.