Untreated Moderate-to-severe Sleep Apnea Is Related to More Severe Spasticity Individuals Living with Spinal Cord Injury: A Prospective Cross-sectional Study 4232

Thursday, October 30, 2025

11:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Location: ROOM: Joliet Room >>> DIRECTIONS Third Floor >>> From the Main Elevator Bank, proceed right. Turn right at the Marquette Foyer. The Joliet Room is located at the end of the hall on your left.

Author(s)

Julio C. Furlan, MD, LLB, MBA, PhD, MSc, FRCPC, FAAN, FASIA

Associate Professor and Scientist
KITE Research Institute and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, and University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Eldon Loh, MD, FRCPC

Associate Professor
Parkwood Institute, St. Joseph's Health Care London; and Western University.
London, Ontario, Canada
Mark I. Boulos, BSc, MD, FRCPC, CSCN(EEG), MSc

Associate Professor
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and University of Toronto
Toronto, ON, Canada

The results of this prospective cross-sectional study suggest that more severe sleep apnea is associated with a greater degree of spasticity following spinal cord injury. Treatment of moderate-to-severe sleep apnea with CPAP therapy may have the potential to be a novel treatment target for managing spasticity in spinal cord injury.

Learning Objectives:

describe the association between the severity of sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) and the degree of spasticity in the spinal cord injury (SCI) population.
review the probable mechanisms for the association between severity of SRBD and the degree of spasticity in the SCI population.
discuss the potential benefits of CPAP therapy on the management of SRBD and spasticity.