Spasticity, caused by disorders of the central nervous system, results in involuntary muscle activation and soft-tissue changes. Fluctuations in its level maybe caused by factors like pain, temperature, or medication, which complicates getting grip on its treatment by patients and professionals. This dissertation contributes to personalised spasticity management by developing an online monitoring tool in co-creation with patients and health professionals to improve insight in the course of spasticity.
This dissertation stresses the importance of sampling not only ‘medical’ outcomes, but also patient-reported (subjective) outcomes such as pain and fatigue, and daily functioning.
It is shown that online spasticity monitoring is feasible, provides insight in the course of spasticity, and contributes to shared-decision making regarding spasticity treatment, e.g. with botulinum toxin injections. In this context, it is important to take into account the (mental) suitability of users, their (e-health) literacy, and the integration of online monitoring within daily (working) routines.
Since 1992, Hans Kerstens (1970) has worked as a physiotherapist in the Netherlands and abroad. Currently, he is employed at the HAN University of Applied Sciences as lecturer, innovator and program manager, and is involved in the post-graduate NPI-courses on Neurorehabilitation-Stroke. Interest in the rehabilitation of people with stroke has resulted in his PhD research regarding online monitoring of spasticity.