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Increased muscle tension (hypertonia) can take two forms: spasticity or stiffness. The cause of hypertonia can be both congenital loads and disease states that appear during the patient's life. Increased muscle tension must be treated, as it can even lead to complete immobilization of the patient.

Increased muscle tension( hypertonia ) can affect both the muscles of the limbs (upper and lower) and other structures, such as torso or neck. It is a pathology of muscle tension that can be detected during a neurological examination - it is assessed to what extent the resistance is felt during passive movements (i.e. when the patient is completely relaxed and parts of his body are moved by the doctor).

Muscle tension enables, inter alia, adopting the correct body posture. However, this tension may be incorrect - one of such pathologies is the increase in muscle tension (hypertonia).

Normal muscle tone is simply present. Pathology can be diagnosed when its decrease is noted, or the opposite situation - an increase in muscle tension, referred to as hypertonia.

Increased muscle tension: types of hypertonia

There are two types of hypertonia. The first is spasticity, where the increase in muscle tone results from damage to the pyramidal pathways in the nervous system. In the case of spasticity, the highest resistance is felt at the beginning of the test, later - as the given movement is repeated - this resistance may gradually decrease.

The second form of increased muscle tone is stiffness. It appears as a result of disturbances in the extrapyramidal system. With this problem, the resistance that is felt during the test is constant.

Increased muscle tension: causes

There are many conditions that - by generating damage to the nervous system - lead to increased muscle tension. The causes of hypertension can be:

  • head injuries
  • spinal cord injuries
  • neoplastic diseases developing within the nervous system
  • stroke
  • Parkinson's disease
  • cerebral palsykids
  • multiple sclerosis
  • poisoning with various toxic substances

Increased muscle tension: symptoms

Hypertension can significantly impair the patient's basic motor activities. In a situation where increased muscle tension affects the muscles of the lower limbs, the patient may experience difficulties with walking - such a patient may have stiff gait, the risk of falls is increased in this situation, and increased muscle tone may lead to changes in the surrounding joints. With prolonged hypertension, joint contractures may occur, which may become permanent over time - the effect is a distortion of the contour of such a joint. The fixation of the articular contracture leads not only to a visual defect, but also to limitation of mobility in a given joint. Long-term hypertension may also lead to the occurrence of pain, which is often of considerable intensity.

Increased muscle tone: recognition

A primary role in determining whether a patient's muscle tone is increased is played by a neurological examination. During it, the tension accompanying the performance of passive movements in the patient is assessed. In patients with hypertonia, symptoms specific to the problem may be found, such as:

  • symptom of a pocket knife (the muscular resistance is greatest at the beginning and at the end of the movement, while during the remaining stages of the movement the resistance is weaker)
  • gear wheel symptom (performing passive motion is accompanied by a feeling that the resistance is abrupt)
  • lead tube symptom (the muscle resistance that appears during the test has the same intensity all the time)

After finding the patient with increased muscle tension, other tests are performed - the choice of diagnostic procedure depends on the suspected cause of the problem. Imaging tests (e.g. computed tomography of the head, magnetic resonance imaging) may be carried out, which may show, for example, a tumor developing within the brain or changes resulting from a patient's stroke. Another example of an examination that can be performed in patients with hypertonia is a lumbar puncture. The cerebrospinal fluid obtained in this way can be used, for example, for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Increased muscle tension: treatment

In the treatment of increased muscle tension, physiotherapeutic effects play the most important role. Movement is recommended to patients so that they can remain active for as long as possiblein the joints accompanying the affected muscles. First of all, it is necessary to ensure that the patient is not constantly immobilized - the lack of exercise causes many problems, such as pressure ulcers, thrombotic processes or pneumonia. In patients with hypertonia, muscle relaxants such as diazepam, dantrolene or baclofen may also be administered. In patients with chronic hypertonia, the last of these, baclofen, can even be pumped directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. In the case of this problem, the use of botulinum toxin injections is also used - they lead to temporary paralysis of the affected muscles.

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Category:

Neurology