What causes Hypertonia?
Hypertonia is caused by upper motor neuron lesions which may result from injury, disease, or conditions that involve damage to the central nervous system. The lack of or decrease in upper motor neuron function leads to loss of inhibition with resultant hyperactivity of lower motor neurons.
What is the difference between spasticity and rigidity?
Whereas spasticity arises as a result of damage to the corticoreticulospinal (pyramidal) tracts, rigidity is caused by dysfunction of extrapyramidal pathways, most commonly the basal ganglia, but also as a result of lesions of the mesencephalon and spinal cord.
What does spasticity mean?
Spasticity is abnormal muscle tightness due to prolonged muscle contraction. It is a symptom associated with damage to the brain, spinal cord or motor nerves, and is seen in individuals with neurological conditions, such as: Cerebral palsy (CP)
How do you test for Hypertonia?
What tests diagnose hypertonia?
- Imaging tests to observe their brain and spinal cord like an MRI or CT scan.
- Electromyograms to measure muscle and nerve function.
What does hypertonia feel like?
Hypertonia is when someone has too much muscle tone in their body, making it hard to flex and move around normally. People with hypertonia will have issues with stiff movements, balance, walking and reaching. In some cases, someone can also have problems with feeding.
Is hypotonia a neurological disorder?
The NINDS supports research on conditions that can result from neurological disorders, such as hypotonia. Much of this research is aimed at learning more about these conditions and finding ways to prevent and treat them. Information from Hypotonia is a medical term used to describe decreased muscle tone.
What does rigidity feel like?
Rigidity is when your muscles feel stiff and tighten involuntarily. It can occur in your arms, legs, neck, back, and even smaller facial muscles. Some people experience it more on one side of their body, but others experience it in both.
What part of the brain causes spasticity?
Spasticity is a result of disrupted communication between the brain and the muscles. The source of that disruption is usually the cerebral cortex (the region of the brain that controls movement) or the brainstem, where nerves connect the brain to the spinal cord.
Is hypertonia always cerebral palsy?
Although hypertonia in cerebral palsy patients is common, high muscle tone does not always mean your child has developed cerebral palsy. Other conditions that are linked with high muscle tone are: Brain bleeds. In-utero strokes.
How can I reduce hypertonia?
Treatment interventions for upper limb hypertonicity include stretching, splinting, strengthening of antagonist muscles, oral medications, and focal injections (phenol or botulinum toxins). Intrathecal baclofen may also impact upper limb tone.