The relationship between spasticity, mobility and activity level in adults with cerebral palsy

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between spasticity, mobility and activity level in adults with cerebral palsy (CP).Method: Thirty four spastic cerebral palsy patients who were fifteen years and over included in this study. The demographic and clinical features were recorded, and spasticity was assessed with the modified ashworth scale (MAS). Rivermead Mobility İndex (RMI) , mobility, self-care and locomotion parameters of Functional İndependence Measure (FIM) were conducted to analyse level of mobility and activity. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) was applied for each subject. All subjects splitted to two groups: Group 1 consisted with level 1, 2 and 3; group 2 consisted with level 4 and 5 according to KMFSS score. Pearson Correlation Analysis, Kruskal Wallis Analysis of Variance and Mann- Whitney U Test were performed for data analysis. ? Level was set 0.05.Results: Total modified ashworth scale ratings was found to be significantly and reversely correlated with KMFSS level, RMI, locomotion, mobility scores (p<0.05). Correlation between modified ashworth scale ratings and self-care scores was found to be non- significant (p>0.05). Within group comparison, MAS, Rivermead Mobility Index, locomotion, mobility, self care and total FIM score was found to be significantly different (p<0.05) . RMI scores in hemiparetic group were found to be significantly different when the patients allocated among the three groups as hemiparetic, diparetic and quadriparetic according to the extremity involvement (p<0.05).Conclusion: Since the mobility and activity level negatively effected by spasticity in adult patients with cerebral palsy, the spasticity managment methods should not be underestimated for increasing functional level and mobility.Key words: Spasticity, mobility, activity level, gross motor function.