the present study was 41.6%. The prevalence was
rather high when compared to the cohort study of
Sommerfeld(4) and Watkins(5). Sommerfeld used the
Modified Ashworth Scale to measure poststroke
spasticity at several joints and reported prevalence of
poststroke spasticity as 21% within 1 week and 19% at
3 months. Likewise, Watkins used the same scale to
measure spasticity at the elbow joint at 12 months
poststroke and reported the prevalence as 27%. The
present study was a registry, some patients might enter
rehabilitation after they had developed spasticity and
that would result in the high prevalence of poststroke
spasticity. Among the spasticity group, the prevalence
of the patients with MAS score 1, 1+, 2, and 3 were
found, respectively, and that was rather similar to the
finding of Sommerfeld’s study(4). Regarding the risk
factor of stroke, a previous stroke was not significantly
associated with spasticity, which was similar to the
study outcomes of others’(5, 12). Therefore, the authors
did not separately analyze the prevalence of spasticity
in either the first and the recurrent stroke groups