What is hypertonia?

Hypertonia is a health condition that is characterized by increased muscle voltages, causing muscles to have difficulty stretching. Hypertonia is often referred to as abnormal stiffness of muscles and is common in diseases such as brain palsy, although it can develop without a known cause. Processes of natural diseases and traumatic injuries sometimes lead to the development of hypertonia. Treatment may include prescription drugs and physical or ergotherapy, or in the most serious cases, surgical intervention may be necessary. Spastic hypertonia includes rigid muscles, uncontrollable muscle spasms and muscle contractions that often feel like electric shocks. This type of hypertonia often occurs in patients with brain palsy or spinal cord injury. Dystonic hypertonia involves muscle rigidity, which means that even a physiotherapist may have difficulty getting up muscles to stretch. This is a common complication of Parkinson's disease.

Prescription medicines are often used to treat both types of hypertonias. Some of the youcHTO drugs are formulated to be used by the mouth, while others are designed to be injected directly into the body. Common oral drugs include diazepam, dantrolene or baclofen. Baclofen can also be used in the form of injection. Botulin toxin can also be used in a injection form to treat these muscle conditions.

Physical and work therapies are often useful to allow muscle stretching. The patient may be advised to perform the extent of movement exercises to prevent the affected muscles from becoming too rigid to move. Frequent stretching of affected muscles can also prove beneficial. These methods have the greatest success when they started as soon as possible after the beginning of Condition.

In severe cases where muscles do not even have to be with the help of medical experts, more intensive medical intervention may be necessary. The most common type of surgeryFor this purpose, the type of surgery is known as selective dorsal rhizotomy. In this procedure, the nerves that are responsible for creating muscle tension are cut. This type of surgery often helps the patient regain at least a certain increase in movement.

The prognosis for those suffering from hypertonia depends very much on the severity of the condition and the basic cause. This can cause different degrees of pain and functional restrictions, sometimes leaving the patient's feeling as if the overall quality of life has been reduced. Proper medical care and a good emotional support system can often help improve the patient's health and quality of life.