Article

PURPOSE: To identify and appraise the literature on clinical measures of
spasticity that has been investigated in people after stroke. METHODS:
The literature search involved four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and The
Cochrane Library) up to February 2014. The selected studies included those that
aimed to measure spasticity using a clinical assessment tool among adult patients
post-stroke. Two independent raters reviewed the included articles using a
critical appraisal scale and a structured data extraction form. RESULTS: A total
of 40 studies examining 15 spasticity assessment tools in patients post-stroke
were reviewed. None of the reviewed measurement tools demonstrated satisfactory
results for all psychometric properties evaluated, and the majority lacked
evidence concerning validity and absolute reliability. CONCLUSION: This
systematic review found limited evidence to support the use of most of clinical
measures of spasticity for people post-stroke. Future research examining the
application and psychometric properties of these measures is warranted.
Implications for Rehabilitation There is a need for objective clinical tools for
measuring spasticity that are clinically feasible and easily interpreted by
clinicians. This review identified various clinical measures of spasticity that
have been investigated in people after stroke. Insufficient evidence of
psychometric properties precludes recommending one tool over the others. Future
research should focus on investigating the psychometric properties of clinical
measures of spasticity.

Langue : ANGLAIS