Spasticity Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Jun 28, 2019
  • Author: Krupa Pandey, MD; Chief Editor: Stephen A Berman, MD, PhD, MBA  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Spasticity may be mistaken for seizure activity, but differences are as follows:

  • Spasticity is not followed by a postictal period

  • Spasticity is typically not as rhythmic or symmetrical as seizure activity

Spasticity is associated with some very common neurologic disorders, including the following:

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS)

  • Stroke

  • Cerebral palsy

  • Spinal cord and brain injuries

  • Neurodegenerative diseases affecting the upper motor neuron, pyramidal, and extrapyramidal pathways