Spasticity is a debilitating condition affecting approximately one million Americans. Many suffer from spasticity in the upper limbs following a stroke, a spinal cord or traumatic brain injury or due to disorders such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
United Spinal Association is partnering with Allergan, Inc., actor Henry Winkler, and four national patient advocacy organizations to raise consciousness about upper limb spasticity and combat its under-diagnosis. The group’s website, www.OpenArmsCampaign.com, teaches how to recognize the symptoms of upper-limb spasticity and discover resources to treat the condition.
Allergan and the Open Arms Campaign will be exhibiting at United Spinal’s upcoming Independence Expo in Orlando, Florida, on October 1 and 2. Campaign spokesperson Henry Winkler, whose late mother struggled with the condition following a stroke, without treatment, for 10 years before she died, will participate. United Spinal will host educational seminars on upper-limb spasticity and its treatment options. Allergan is also planning several educational seminars throughout the year hosted in cities across the country and on the Web.
“United Spinal is proud to support Allergan in its campaign to educate the public as well as patients on upper-limb spasticity, which affects many of our members and other individuals living with spinal cord injuries and disorders nationwide,” said Paul
J. Tobin, President and CEO of United Spinal Association. Upper-limb spasticity occurs when the brain over-communicates with the muscles, causing them to constantly contract and tighten. This can result in pain, loss of dexterity, and difficulty walking or running, as well as other mobility issues, and can hinder a person’s ability to perform many everyday activities, such as getting dressed, taking care of hygiene, and eating.
One of the campaign’s primary goals is to address the delay in diagnosis of many individuals with upper-limb spasticity who experience its onset weeks, months, or even years after their original injury—after they are discharged from the hospital and are no longer seeing specialists familiar with its symptoms.
Other partners in Allergan’s campaign include National Stroke Association, Brain Injury Association of America, National Spinal Cord Injury Association, and United Cerebral Palsy.
