Exam 1 Lecture 2 Pathophysiology of Tone part 2: Tone to end Flashcards
(43 cards)
What is tone?
•Muscle tone is the resting level of tension in a muscle in response to passive stretch
- –Allows a muscle to make an optimal response to voluntary/reflexive commands
- –Reflects balance of excitatory and inhibitory influences
How does damage to the CNS effect tone?
•Damage to central nervous system often results in an alteration in regulation of muscle tone
Hypotonia
What is it
Infants
Other symptoms
PT managment
–Decrease in resistance to passive limb manipulation
–Flaccid
- •Infants have a floppy quality or “rag doll” appearance
- –Arms and legs hang by sides
- –Little or no head control
- •Other symptoms include
- –Difficulty with mobility, posture, breathing and speech, lethargy, ligament and joint laxity, and poor reflexes
- •PT Management
- –Developmental positions, strengthening, sensory stimulation, positioning and bracing, weight bearing

Hypotonia vs muscle weakness
Hypotonia is Not the same as muscle weakness
- –True muscle tone is the ability of a muscle to respond to a stretch
- •Low tone results in a slow ability to initiate a muscle contraction and an inability to maintain the contraction
- –True muscle weakness is characterized by the force exerted by a muscle is less than expected
Hypotonia: causs
•Many causes though the underlying cause is often difficult to determine
- –Trauma, environmental factors, or by genetic, muscle, or central nervous system disorders
- •Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy etc
Hypotonia: development as an adult
Development as an adult may be associated with
- –Cerebellar degeneration (such as multiple sclerosis, Friedreich’s ataxia, or multiple system atrophy)
- •Neurons that control muscle coordination and balance, deteriorate and die
Is hypotonia or hypertonia more common?
Hypertonia is more common
Hypertonia
More common than hypotonia
–Increase in resistance to passive limb manipulation
–Damage to UMN and or descending pathways making afferent pathways more responsive
–Can be spastic (spacticity) or rigid (rigidity)
Pathological spread of reflexes
- Sign of hyperactivity
- Contraction of muscles that have different actions while eliciting a reflex
- Contraction of thigh adductors while testing patellar reflex
What is spacticity?
Velocity dependent increase in resistance to a passive stretch
- –Classified as a symptom of UMN syndromes
- Can include
- –Spastic paresis—spasticity combined with muscle weakness, often in someone with an incomplete SCI
- –Spastic paralysis—absence of voluntary muscle control in someone with spasticity
- Can result in secondary impairments in muscles and other tissues
- Stiffness, contracture of muscle, tendon, joint
- Spastic muscles seem to undergo intrinsic structural changes which explains why more tension is usually developed with spasticity over time when stretched relative to non spastic muscles
- Stiffness, contracture of muscle, tendon, joint
What is spastic paresis?
Spastic paresis—spasticity combined with muscle weakness, often in someone with an incomplete SCI
What is spastic paralysis?
Spastic paralysis—absence of voluntary muscle control in someone with spasticity
What are two things that clinicians recognize the same spasticity in?
–Clinicians also recognize that the same spasticity is triggered by the light touch or hair tug or a hitting a bump in a wheelchair
(I’m not sure what “also” is referring to here)
Clonus
hyperactive stretch reflex
Characteristics of spasticity following cerebral lesions
–Damage to corticobulbar fibers
–Decrease excitation of descending inhibitory pathways
–Extensors of LE & flexors of UE
–Easier to pharmacologically control
Characteristics of spasticity following spinal cord lesions
–Damage to all descending activity
–Flexor & extensor involvement
–More resistant to pharmacologic control
Must use different techniques than what we would use if it was a brain injury (for example, to break clonus)
Synergy Patterns of Extremities: Flexion
–Upper extremity
- •Scapular retraction/elevation or hyperextension, shoulder abduction, external rotation, elbow flexion, forearm supination, wrist and finger flexion
- Looks like primitive reflex
–Lower extremity
- •Hip flexion, abduction, and external rotation, knee flexion, ankle dorsiflexion, inversion, and toe dorsiflexion
Synergy Patterns of Extremities: Extension
–Upper extremity
- •Scapular protraction, shoulder adduction, internal rotation, elbow extension, forearm pronation, wrist and finger flexion
–Lower extremity
- •Hip extension, adduction, and internal rotation, knee extension, ankle plantarflexion, inversion, and toe plantarflexion
what are Synergy Patterns of Extremities?
A consistant pattern of spacticity that can be documented in one term (usually indicate UE, LE, or both)
Sometimes good
Sometimes bad
Negative outcomes of Spacticity: (7)
- –Interference with mobility, transfers, ROM, and ADLs
- –May lead to heterotopic ossification- bone forms where should have a muscle
- –May cause pain and discomfort, possibly to the point of sleep disturbance
- –May lead to contractures or dislocations
- –Increase risk of skin breakdown
- –Bowel and bladder dysfunction
- –Decreased pulmonary function
Positive outcomes of Spacticity: (6)
- –Maintain muscle tone
- –Help support circulatory functions
- –Assist with mobility, transfers and ADLs
- –Reduced osteopenia
- –Prevent formation/decrease risk of DVT
- –Sudden increase in spasticity can alert patient to other medical problems such as bladder infections, skin breakdown, or fever
Things about Ashworth and Modified Ashworth Tests (11)
- –Clinical gold standard tests for spasticity
- –Evaluate muscle tone and stretch reflexes elicited by movement
- –Assess all joints in available ROM in same position for all joints
- –Perform movement opposite to muscle being tested
- –Compare both sides
- –Spasticity should be assessed during one quick movement and should not be repeated as this may loosen the muscle
- –Always use the highest measure
- –Do not perform long passive stretch or perform movement gently
- –Measure passive ROM as part of assessment
- –Additional grade was added (1+) for the Modified Ashworth to enhance sensitivity and accommodate hemiplegic patients who typically graded at the lower end of the scale
- –Does not address frequency or severity of spasms or influence on daily activities
Contensts of the Ashworth Scale
Ashworth Scale
- 0 -No increase in muscle tone
- 1 -Slight increase in muscle tone, with the limb “catching” when it is flexed or extended
- 2 –More marked increase in tone, but limb easily flexed
- 3 –Considerable increase in tone; passive movement difficult
- 4 –Limb rigid in flexion and extension
Contents of Modified Ashworth Scale
Modified Ashworth Scale
- 0 -No increase in muscle tone
- 1 -Slight increase in muscle tone, manifested by a catch and release or by minimal resistance at the end of the range of motion when the affected limb) is moved in flexion or extension
- 1+ -Slight increase in muscle tone, manifested by a catch, followed by minimal resistance throughout the remainder (less than half) of the ROM
- 2 -More marked increase in muscle tone through most of the ROM, but affected limb) easily moved
- 3 -Considerable increase in muscle tone, passive movement difficult
- 4 -Affected limb) rigid in flexion or extension






