Assessment of Impact of Spasticity on Activities of Daily Living in Multiple Sclerosis Patients from Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease with several symptoms, including spasticity. This study aimed to illustrate the impact of spasticity on the daily activities of MS patients. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of demographic, clinical characteristics, and MS spasticity scale. A total of 286 patients from Saudi Arabia participated in this study. Results: Muscle stiffness occurring due to spasticity in most cases does not bother the patient, except for muscle tightness (32.9%) and stiffness when staying in the same position for a long time (36.7%), which cause extreme discomfort to the patients. Five items of pain and discomfort have been reported to extremely bother the patients (28.0-33.6%). The highest percentage of patients claimed not to be affected by muscle spasm items (29.4%-66.1%), including activities of dressing and sleeping (36.7%-57.7%). More than 30% of the patients found spasticity to affect their walking speed and going up/downstairs. About 36% to 49% did not experience any difficulties with their body movements. The patients also did not exhibit any feelings of discomfort, except for irritation (30.4%) and nervousness (29.4%). Conclusion: MS patients are significantly affected by spasticity, and a considerable percentage of these patients experience problems with their movements and activities.