Research progress of musculoskeletal ultrasound technique in the evaluation of limb spasticity after stroke
Limb spasticity is a common complication after stroke,with clinical manifestations such as increased muscle tone,limb stiffness and pain,which reduces the quality of patients'daily life and increases the economic burden.Currently,scales,surface electromyography and biomechanical methods are mostly used to assess limb spasticity in clinical practice,but clinical scales rely on experience and are highly subjective;surface electromyography is prone to compensations and test errors;and biomechanical methods are more restrictive.Musculoskeletal ultrasound is not only capable of detecting muscle parameters and providing quantitative information such as muscle hardness and elasticity,but also has the unique advantages of high-resolution and real-time imag-ing,which has been increasingly used in clinical diagnosis and treatment.In this paper,we review the evidence related to musculoskeletal ultrasound and limb spasticity assessment,with the aim of exploring a simple and reasonable quantitative assessment method,which will provide some thoughts for the future clinical assessment of limb spasticity.