Spasticity in Focus, Expert Conversations in PM&R: Working with Other Specialists in Your Community (On-Demand)-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This webinar focused on how PM&R specialists collaborate with other clinicians in spasticity management through case-based examples. Dr. Heckert discussed working with orthopedics and neurology, showing how botulinum toxin, tendon lengthening, and later more targeted surgery can be combined to improve function in a post-stroke patient, and how neurologic reassessment can uncover alternative diagnoses. Dr. Salino reviewed collaboration with anesthesiology and emergency medicine, emphasizing the need for institutional protocols for intrathecal baclofen pumps, perioperative planning, emergency triage, and avoiding inappropriate reversal agents. Dr. Hafner highlighted outreach to primary care and therapy teams, stressing education, simple referral pathways, closed-loop communication, and the important “eyes and ears” role of PT/OT in seeing functional change over time. Dr. Kwasnika discussed neurosurgery and plastic surgery partnerships, including troubleshooting pump malfunction, coordinating replacement and flow studies, and using selective neurectomy or other surgical procedures to complement toxin and pump therapy. Overall, the session emphasized that successful spasticity care depends on strong relationships, clear communication, and using each specialty’s strengths to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords

spasticity management

PM&R collaboration

botulinum toxin

intrathecal baclofen pumps

orthopedics and neurology

anesthesiology and emergency medicine

primary care and therapy teams

neurosurgery and plastic surgery

multidisciplinary care