Muscle-tonic syndrome

Muscular-tonic syndrome is a serious problem of our time. This syndrome implies a decrease in muscle tone. This is not a usual lack of physical culture, insufficient training of the muscular system. This is a pathology, the essence of which is reduced to a progressive decrease in muscle tone.

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Epidemiology

According to statistics, in most cases, the reason for the decrease in muscle tone is the decrease in tone, which occurs as a result of disorders of the peripheral parts. This may be a violation of the automatism and contractility of nerve fibers, muscle tissue (65% of cases). In the remaining 35% of cases, the pathogenesis is based on a violation of the activity of the corresponding parts of the brain.

Congenital pathologies are observed in 40% of cases, acquired ones – in 60% of cases. They are treatable in 55% of cases. In other cases, the disease progresses, up to disability. In 65% of cases, pain syndrome is observed. In 25% of cases, convulsive syndrome also joins.

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Causes muscle-tonic syndrome

There may be many reasons. They can be divided into two groups - congenital and acquired. Congenital pathologies are genetically determined. They are deviations in the genotype that are passed on from generation to generation and cause a congenital decrease in tone.

As for acquired pathologies, this may be trauma, damage to muscles, membranes, skin. Quite often the cause is hypothermia, nervous disorders. A decrease in tone may be caused by a violation of the normal state of muscles, a violation of nerve conduction, or a violation of the normal functioning of the cerebral cortex and other corresponding areas of the brain that are responsible for movement, a violation of tissue conduction.

The cause may be an infection of the brain and conduction pathways, including neurosyphilis, meningitis, in which the brain is affected by pale treponema, meningococci. An inflammatory process may develop.

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Risk factors

The risk group includes people with predominantly impaired nervous and hormonal regulation, with reduced muscle tone, and with impaired normal motor activity (towards its decrease). The risk also increases significantly in people who suffer from pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, disorders of the nervous system, and psyche. The risk increases in people prone to obesity, with metabolic disorders, and with vascular tone disorders. People who suffer from vitamin deficiency, mineral deficiency, and who are often exposed to intoxication are also at risk.

Pathogenesis

The pathogenesis is based on a violation of muscle tone, nervous regulation, conductivity of nervous tissue, as well as contractility of muscle fibers. It is also worth noting that quite often the pathogenesis is associated with disorders of the regulatory parts of the brain, in which the formation or normal conduction of nerve impulses from the corresponding areas of the brain to the controlled areas, which perform the direct action, is disrupted.

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Symptoms muscle-tonic syndrome

Early manifestations include difficulty in moving. Muscles lose tone: they may be softer, saggy, and as a result, they are incapable of contractile activity. All this limits movements, making them less controlled and uncoordinated. This is especially evident in the case of impaired limb tone: an arm or leg cannot be raised or moved. Further progression of the disease may result in disability.

Read more about the symptoms, forms and stages of muscular-tonic syndrome in this article.

Complications and consequences

There are many different consequences. In the absence of adequate treatment, muscle-tonic syndrome always progresses and ends in paralysis, disability. If you treat and follow all the doctor's recommendations, lead an active lifestyle, and take a comprehensive approach to treatment, a complete recovery is possible.

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Diagnostics muscle-tonic syndrome

The basis of diagnostics is the determination of the condition of muscles, their tone, reactivity. The degree of irritability and conductivity of the nervous system is also checked. If any symptoms appear that may directly or indirectly indicate a decrease in muscle tone, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. This may be a surgeon, traumatologist, vertebrologist.

In extreme cases, a therapist can help, who will refer to the necessary specialists, prescribe an examination. Laboratory and instrumental research methods are used. An important place is given to differential diagnostics. Also, the main reflexes are checked, an examination is carried out, clinical research methods are used, such as palpation, percussion, auscultation. Functional tests can provide important information.

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Tests

The most commonly used laboratory tests are clinical blood and urine tests. Even stool tests can be informative. In some cases, if there is a suspicion of spinal cord injury or the development of a cerebrospinal fluid infection, a cerebrospinal fluid test may be required. The sample is collected by puncture (usually lumbar).

If a bacterial infection is suspected, a bacteriological and microbiological study (culture), analysis of microbiocenosis, dysbacteriosis, and microbiological screening are performed. In some cases, studies may be required to determine tumor markers, as well as factors of the inflammatory, rheumatic process, and autoimmune aggression. If a viral or parasitic infection is suspected, a mycological, microbiological, or virological study is performed.

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Instrumental diagnostics

The main instrumental methods used are ultrasound examination, X-ray methods, electromyography, which allows recording the intensity and strength of muscle contractions. Electroneurography and somnographic methods are also used, which allow determining the electrical activity of the nervous system. An electroencephalogram allows recording the electrical activity of the brain.

Differential diagnosis

It is based on the differential diagnosis, the essence of which is the need to differentiate the signs of similar diseases and syndromes. Thus, first of all, it is important to differentiate disorders of the nervous system from disorders of the activity and irritability of muscle fiber. Also, the pathology may be based on a common decrease in muscle tone. Then it is necessary to differentiate the pathology of nerve and muscle conduction from characteristic disorders of the brain and its individual areas. It is also important to differentiate this syndrome from other diseases that have similar manifestations.

Discirculatory encephalopathy

This pathology is associated with disturbances in the electrical activity of the brain, which causes disturbances in circulatory processes, primarily blood circulation in the brain. The essence of the processes is approximately as follows: first, the impulse is perceived by receptors, then it is transmitted to the brain via afferent nerve fibers. If encephalopathy develops, there is a disturbance in the activity of the brain departments responsible for processing the information received, and blood circulation processes are also disrupted. As a result, a weakened or distorted nerve impulse is transmitted via efferent pathways, which entails a disturbance in muscle tone.

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Myasthenia

It is a genetic pathology caused by genetic disorders of the structure and function of muscles, as well as their tone. A characteristic feature of myasthenia is a progressive decrease in muscle tone, which is based on the dystrophy of muscle fibers, a decrease in reserve nutrients in the cell and tissues. It is accompanied not only by a decrease in tone, but also by pain syndrome, cramps and spasms.

Myofascial syndrome

The pathogenesis is based on a violation of muscle tone and the normal functional state of the fascia (connective tissue sheath surrounding the muscle). Most often, myofascial syndrome is a consequence of injury or inflammation. It is quite common in athletes whose muscles are subject to increased physical stress. It is often observed with sudden movements, overload of the muscular system.

Spondyloarthrosis

Spondyloarthrosis is a degenerative-dystrophic disorder of polyetiological nature. The pathogenesis of spondyloarthrosis is based on the primary lesion of the articular cartilage. Subsequently, the subchondral and metaphyseal layers of the bone are involved in the pathological process. Further progression of the disease is accompanied by damage to the synovial membrane, ligaments, muscles. In this case, there are clearly expressed signs of osteophyte formation, and pain syndrome appears, movements in the joint are sharply limited. It ends with loss of joint mobility.

Muscular dystrophy

Characterized by dystrophic processes in the muscular system, in which there is a decrease in the reserve nutrients in the muscle tissue, which entails a violation of trophism. Accordingly, the muscle does not receive the required amount of nutrients, oxygen, and metabolic products and carbon dioxide are retained. Intoxication of muscle tissue increases, the reserves of nutrients and oxygen continue to deplete. With muscular dystrophy, degradation of the main structural elements of muscle fiber gradually occurs, the muscle is destroyed, its functional activity decreases. The process is usually irreversible.

Treatment muscle-tonic syndrome

How to relieve muscle-tonic syndrome? The most effective way to relieve this syndrome is with massage. Massage is based on careful muscle work aimed at relaxing tense areas and increasing the tone of relaxed, atonic areas. It is important to follow the sequence of massage: first, light stroking techniques are performed. Then they move on to more rigid squeezing techniques, followed by rubbing, which allows you to warm up the muscles well and prepare them for further procedures - kneading. It is kneading that is considered the main massage procedure, which allows you to work out the muscles as well as possible, knead them. Kneading should take an average of 15 minutes. After this, you should slow down the pace, then switch back to squeezing, then - to light stroking with vibration techniques. At this time, you can use elements of active-passive gymnastics. You should work on the area with reduced tone, as well as nearby areas.

Read about other methods of treating muscular-tonic syndrome in this article.

Prevention

Prevention is based on a sufficient level of physical activity - this is the main and basic preventive measure. It is also important to eat right, include the required amount of vitamins and minerals in the diet, regularly undergo preventive examinations, and, if necessary, receive timely treatment. In addition, if there is a tendency to congenital, genetically determined tone disorders, it is important to undergo genetic screening and further medical and biological counseling.

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Forecast

It is difficult to say for sure. Only a doctor can do this, since it is important to know the cause of the pathology. For example, if the cause was a violation of muscle nutrition, it is enough to select vitamins, change the diet, select the correct motor regime, and the tone will be restored on its own. There are cases, for example, with a congenital genetic anomaly, when treatment does not bring results. Then you can expect disability.

Muscular-tonic syndrome and the army

Usually, the decision on suitability for military service is made by a commission. Usually, a young man is declared "unfit" for military service, since the pronounced muscular-tonic syndrome does not allow him to perform the required physical exercises. However, each individual case is considered strictly individually. Everything depends on the severity of the disease, its severity, and the characteristics of its course. There are cases when people with such pathologies were called up for military service.

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