Zanaflex (tizanidine) is a muscle relaxant used to treat spasticity from conditions like MS and spinal cord injury. Learn how it works, its side effects, dosing, and how it compares to other treatments.
Spasticity Treatment: Effective Options, Medications, and What Works Best
When muscles won’t relax and feel stiff or tight, it’s often due to spasticity, a condition where nerve signals to muscles go haywire, causing involuntary muscle contractions. Also known as muscle spasticity, it’s not just discomfort—it can make walking, dressing, or even sleeping difficult. This isn’t normal muscle soreness. It’s a neurological issue, often linked to stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, or cerebral palsy.
Spasticity treatment doesn’t mean just popping painkillers. It’s about targeting the root cause: overactive nerves sending constant "tighten up" signals. The most common tools include baclofen, a muscle relaxant that works directly on the spinal cord to calm nerve overactivity, and tizanidine, a short-acting drug that reduces muscle stiffness by acting on brain centers that control muscle tone. For localized tightness—like a clenched fist or a stiff ankle—botulinum toxin, commonly known as Botox, is injected right into the affected muscle to block nerve signals locally. These aren’t cure-alls, but they’re proven to restore movement and reduce pain.
What’s missing from many treatment plans? Physical therapy. Stretching, splinting, and targeted exercises aren’t optional extras—they’re essential partners to medication. Without them, even the best drugs lose effectiveness over time. And while some people turn to cannabis-based treatments or acupuncture, the strongest evidence still lies with baclofen, tizanidine, and botulinum toxin. If your current treatment isn’t working, it’s not that you’re out of options—it’s that you might need a better mix.
Spasticity treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all. What helps a stroke survivor may not work for someone with MS. That’s why the posts below cover real cases: how verapamil is being tested for nerve-related stiffness, why some patients respond better to oral meds than injections, and how insurance rules can block access to the most effective options. You’ll find practical advice on managing side effects, when to push for a second opinion, and how to talk to your doctor about switching treatments. No fluff. Just what works—and what doesn’t.