What is spasticity?

Spasticity is when your muscles feel tight and stiff, like they're holding on too hard.

Imagine you have a toy car that keeps going forward no matter what, it doesn't stop or turn easily. That's kind of like spasticity. Your muscles are like the wheels of the toy car; instead of moving smoothly, they get stuck in one position or move too quickly, making it hard to control your movements.

When someone has spasticity, their muscles might feel tight and hard, like a rope that’s been pulled too much. This can make simple things like walking or holding a pencil feel tricky, it's as if the muscles are trying to do their job but not listening very well.

Sometimes, spasticity happens because of something else going on in the body, like a little "traffic jam" in the brain or spinal cord. This traffic jam sends confusing messages to the muscles, making them work too hard or too fast, kind of like when you're excited and can't sit still!