Emerging Therapies for Spastic Movement Disorders
Preeti Raghavan
Key takeaways
Injections of an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronan may reduce muscle stiffness and improve movement in people with spasticity.
Spasticity develops as a result of CNS injury; however, secondary changes within the muscles and connective tissue also contribute to muscle stiffness. The hyaluronan hypothesis postulates that the accumulation of hyaluronan, a high molecular weight glycosaminoglycan which acts as a lubricant within the extracellular matrix of muscles, promotes the development of muscle stiffness. Intramuscular injections of the enzyme hyaluronidase, which hydrolyzes long-chained hyaluronan polymers to smaller polymers, was shown to reduce muscle stiffness and increase passive and active range of motion in patients with spasticity. These results provide preliminary evidence of the hyaluronan hypothesis and suggest an emerging therapy to reduce muscle stiffness using the enzyme hyaluronidase.
The first episode of the English podcast “The Fascia Guide”. The Fascia Guide is a podcast about the living body, about new research and a new perspective on health, pain and what…
The episode was first published on the Swedish podcast Fasciaguiden on June 4, 2025. In this unique episode, we meet Professor Gerald Pollack — one of the world’s most influential…