Spasticity refers to a condition in which overactive muscles interfere with function. It is often found in conditions such as brain injury, strokes, and spinal cord injury. The Penn Spasticity Clinic offers comprehensive and multi-disciplinary evaluation and treatment to best improve function and quality of life.

Conditions that frequently manifest spasticity include:

• Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Brain tumors or cancer
• Brain infections / abscesses
• Cerebral palsy (CP)
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Stroke 
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Other conditions that affect the brain and/or spinal cord

Common Rehabilitation Treatments for Spasticity

The focus of therapy and education is to help patients regain physical mobility including improving walking, balance and strength as well as acquiring the skills to perform activities of daily living.

Common treatments include:

• Medications
• Injections with botulinum toxin to specific muscles that are hyperactive
• Bracing to prevent spasticity that interferes with activities
• Physical therapy for stretching tight and spastic muscle
• Occupational therapy for training to complete activities of daily living and maximize hand function.

The Penn Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program offers state-of-the-art treatment to any condition involving the brain which causes physical and cognitive impairments and disabilities. It consists of inpatient and outpatient services that integrate compassionate and comprehensive medical and rehabilitative care to help individuals achieve the best level of function and quality of life.

Conditions that Benefit from Brain Injury Rehabilitation:

• Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Brain tumors or cancer
• Brain infections / abscesses
• Cerebral palsy (CP)
• Concussions
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Spasticity 
• Stroke 
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Anoxia

Common Rehabilitation Treatments for Neurological Disorders

The focus of therapy and education is to help patients regain physical mobility including improving walking, balance and strength as well as acquiring the skills to perform activities of daily living. Goals also include restoring cognitive function as well as improving speech and swallow problems.  We also help the patient and their family to cope with adjustment to their diagnosis.

Common treatments include:

• Medications to enhance neurological recovery
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Speech language and pathology therapy
• Neuropsychology evaluation and treatment
• Recreational therapy
• Vision therapy
• Vestibular rehabilitation
• Spasticity treatment including medications and injections with botulinum toxin to treat overactive muscles that interfere with function. Spasticity is often found in persons with brain injuries, strokes, and spinal cord injuries. 

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

Our multi-disciplinary rehabilitation team includes collaboration with physiatrists, neuropsychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists to create a in-depth and individualized treatment and recovery plan. Our mission is to help our patients enhance the quality of their lives by achieving all the skills necessary to perform daily activities and reach their functional potential. Brain injury rehabilitative services are provided in a continuum that ranges from a Long Term Acute Care setting to an acute inpatient rehabilitation setting to a variety of locations at Penn Therapy & Fitness from Good Shepherd Penn Partners, which is the official outpatient therapy provider of Penn Medicine.  Each person will be individually evaluated for entry into the continuum.

The Penn Concussion Clinic is a comprehensive multi-disciplinary center designed to treat the needs most commonly faced by individuals who have recently suffered a concussion — either through a sports or non-sports related trauma. Our team consists of Brain Injury and Sports Physiatrists, Clinical Neuropsychologists, and a Vestibular Therapist.  We use evidence-based approaches to diagnose and manage acute and chronic manifestations of concussion.  Patients will be given a comprehensive initial evaluation with prescriptive feedback, and will be followed regularly until their symptoms subside. 

The Penn Spinal Cord Disorders Rehabilitation Program offers innovative treatment programs for any condition involving paralysis and the associated physical impairments and disabilities. It consists of inpatient and outpatient services that integrate an interdisciplinary team. Led by a physician specializing in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, the rehabilitation team provides comprehensive medical and rehabilitative care to help individuals reach their highest level of function, recovery and quality of life.

Conditions that Benefit from Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders Rehabilitation:

• Traumatic spinal cord injuries
• Spinal cord tumors or metastases
• Spinal cord infections / abscesses
• Cerebral palsy (CP)
• Spinal cord Arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Spasticity 
• Guilliane Barre' syndrome or Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (AIDP)
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
• Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Myopathies
• Muscular Dystrophy

Common Rehabilitation Treatments for Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders

The focus of our medical interventions, therapy and education is to help patients acquire the physical mobility, strength, knowledge and skills to achieve their highest level of independence and function. Goals may include improved ambulation, wheelchair skills, management of autonomic dysfunction, balance restoration, improved self-care, vocational adaptation, bone density management and continence management.

Common treatments include:

• Medications to enhance neurological recovery
• Activity based neurorecovery programs
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Adaptive technology evaluation
• Custom wheelchair evaluation
• Speech language and pathology therapy
• Neuropsychology evaluation and treatment
• Recreational therapy
• Clinical nutrition evaluation
• Respiratory therapy
• Vestibular rehabilitation
• Spasticity treatment including medications and injections with botulinum toxin to treat overactive muscles that interfere with function. Spasticity is often found in persons with brain injuries, strokes, and spinal cord injuries.

A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

Our multi-disciplinary team includes the physiatrist, physical therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation nursing, recreation therapy, and may also include speech and language pathology, neuropsychology, clinical nutrition, and respiratory therapy.

The team works together to develop an individualized treatment and recovery plan for each patient in our care. Our mission is to help our patients enhance the quality of their lives by achieving the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their optimal functional potential.

Spinal cord disorders and paralysis related therapy services are provided at a variety of locations at Penn Therapy & Fitness from Good Shepherd Penn Partners, which is the official outpatient therapy provider of Penn Medicine.