Facilitated Segment Flashcards
What is facilitation?
The maintenance of a pool of neurons in a state of partial or sub-threshold excitation; in this state, less afferent stimulation is required to trigger the discharge of impulses.
What is a facilitated segment?
A vertebral segment or spinal cord level that exhibits facilitation (partial or sub-threshold excitation), where it is able to excite easier.
What is the relationship between facilitation and somatic dysfunction?
An area of impairment or restriction (such as somatic dysfunction) will develop a lower threshold for irritation and dysfunction when it, or other structures around it, are stimulated.
What is the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and facilitation?
Whenever an area of somatic dysfunction was stimulated, it had a much lower threshold for irritability and had predictable and consistent Autonomic Nervous system changes - not only when you press on that segment but also when you press above or below it. The facilitated segment is due to abnormal bombardment of spinal cord segments from somatic and visceral afferent impulses to the spinal cord. The sympathetic nervous system shows segmental preference in regard to visceral organs.
What is a viscero-somatic reflex?
A disruption or disease of an internal organ or tissue results in reflex dysfunction of a segmentally related musculoskeletal region.
What is a somato-visceral reflex?
Localized somatic stimuli will produce a reflex pattern in segmentally related visceral structures.
