OT for Spasticity in Adults

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

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Spasticity can be present in many of the conditions we treat as occupational therapy professionals. 

And, it can add significant cost and burden for our patients. 

The article we are discussing in this 1-hour course gives you a big picture overview of the science behind what we know (and don’t know!) about spasticity. 

You’ll find certain approaches (that I’ve personally used!) that have NOT been supported by the research—but also which modalities have a growing body of evidence behind them. 

After reviewing the research, we’ll be joined on the podcast by neuro OT, Scott Thompson, OTD, MOT, OTR/L, CRSR, LSVT-BIG to discuss implications for your practice! 

Primary Journal Article Explored

When you log in, be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article. Then, share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

• Non-pharmacological interventions for spasticity in adults: An overview of systematic reviews

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Stretching and splinting interventions for poststroke spasticity, hand function, and functional tasks: A systematic review
• Artificial Neural Network learns clinical assessment of spasticity in modified Ashworth Scale

Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify interventions with moderate quality evidence for reducing spasticity in adults 
• You will be able to recognize  interventions with low quality evidence for reducing spasticity in adults 

Resources

Starting and running your neuro OT clinic:

• NeuPT Tech
• Physical Therapy Private Practice: Secrets of the Top 10%
• Next Level OT
• Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast

Clinical decision making related to spasticity:

• Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation
• Neurotherapy online

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

• What is spasticity? 
• Prevalence in common conditions & increased burden
• Current treatments
• Why this review was needed
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Takeaways for OT practitioners

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with Scott Thompson) (50 minutes)

• Tell us how you first found OT.
• How did you become interested in neuro OT and health tech? 
• What were your initial impressions of the article? 
• It seems like when I see a patient with spasticity on my caseload: I should begin thinking this is a patient with an increased burden for their condition, and that I need to be collaborating with a team. Is that true? 
• How do you assess spasticity?
• How do you think about matching the mechanism of different treatment options, with specific types of spasticity? 
• What stood out to you about the different modalities that were listed? 
• Tell me about logistically how you use your fave modalities in the clinic?
• Are there more options coming to the market for patients to be leveraging different modalities at home? 
• What do you see as the business models that will best serve patients in leveraging OT and health tech to manage their spasticity? 

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about OT for Spasticity in Adults.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic.  Our guest, Scott Thompson, also has no financial disclosures.

Speakers

Scott Thompson, OTD, MOT, OTR/L, CSRS, LSVT BIG

Dr. Scott never stops learning, whether through continuing education, reading the latest research, or through his clients’ stories…Because knowledge is power.

Education:

• Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions
• Master of Occupational Therapy, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
• Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology, Indiana University

Certifications:

Scott has numerous advanced neurological rehabilitation certifications.  He is a Certified Stroke Rehab Specialist (CSRS), an LSVT BIG trained therapist, and is Saebo Certified, and is currently working on two more certifications for upper and lower extremity expertise. Read full bio.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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