What is a Baclofen Pump?
Baclofen is one of the medicines that doctors use most often to treat two types of abnormal muscle tone: spasticity and dystonia.
- Spasticity is an uncontrollable tightening and stiffening of muscles.
- Dystonia causes variations in muscle tightness. It can result in prolonged twisted posture and discomfort.
These conditions are common in people who have cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and other brain and spinal cord injuries and diseases.
People can take baclofen by mouth or by using a baclofen pump. If your child has been taking anti-spasticity medicine by mouth and it is not effective, or is causing unwanted side effects, the care team may recommend a baclofen pump. The pump is a device that a pediatric neurosurgeon places into the abdomen. It connects to a thin tube called a catheter that goes into the intrathecal space (this is the space that contains the spinal fluid in the spinal column).
Unlike anti-spasticity medicine pills taken by mouth, the pump delivers the medicine directly to the spinal fluid around the spinal cord and nerves. This can relax muscles without many of the side effects of taking anti-spasticity medicine by mouth, such as excessive drowsiness and constipation. Most patients with a baclofen pump don’t need to take the medicine by mouth anymore.