Topic 7: Spasm

Question 1

The following are some possible causes of ______:
- Trauma (causes reflex muscle guarding)
Pain (often resulting from inflammation or trauma)
- Inflammation (resulting from trauma or infection)
- Infection (causes pain, inflammation…)
- Emotional stress/tension (psychoneuroimmunological) (increases
neuronal firing)
- Fatigue (nutrition, trauma, tension)
- Cold (leading to a reflex muscle contraction)
- Circulatory or metabolic changes (immobilization, fatigue, pain, continued
increased muscle tension)
- Nutritional deficiencies (dehydration, electrolyte disturbances…)
- Mechanical stresses and postural adaptations

Answer 1

Spasm

Question 2

__________ _______ _______ is the prolonged contraction of a muscle in response to local circulatory and metabolic changes that occur when a muscle is in a continued state of contraction. Pain is the result of the altered circulatory and metabolic environment, so the muscle contraction becomes self-perpetuating.

Answer 2

Intrinsic Muscle Spasm

Question 3

_________ ________ is sustained muscle contraction in response to painful stimuli or injury. The primary cause of pain/injury is usually nearby or in the underlying tissues. This type of spasm occurs primarily to limit movement of the involved tissues (protecting it from further injury).

Answer 3

Protective Spasm (or Reflex Muscle Guarding/Muscle Splinting)

Question 4

Spasm produces pain in one of three ways:

• By _________ parts of the muscle
• By subjecting ___________ between active and non-active parts of the muscle to shearing forces
• Through ________

Answer 4

• Overloading
• Nociceptors
• Ischemia

Question 5

In the case of a _________ spasm, treatment is not focused on eliminating a spasm, but to reducing it and appropriately treating the underlying cause.

Answer 5

Protective spasm

Question 6

A spasm is likely to result in a limitation of passive motion, have an ______ end feel, and is likely produce pain when the tissue is stressed.

Answer 6

Abrupt end feel

Question 7

T/F: A muscle in acute spasm should never be stretched.

Answer 7

True: Stretching a muscle that is actively contracting introduces a high risk of muscle tear. As a spasm reduces, then gentle stretching can be introduced and eventually progressed.

Question 8

This technique is useful when attempting to reduce muscle spasm or gain range of motion at a joint. It relies on the principle that when the muscle on one side of a joint is working to produce a movement, the muscle on the opposite side of the joint (that produce the opposite movement) are neurologically inhibited.

Answer 8

Reciprocal Inhibition Technique

Question 9

This technique can be used to help reduce muscle spasm or resting tension. With this technique the therapist is attempting to take advantage of the _____ response. The _____ monitors the amount of tension a tendon is under; when the nervous system perceives this tension to be excessive it causes the involved muscle to relax. The relaxation of the contraction takes tension off the muscle.

Answer 9

Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO) Technique

Question 10

This technique is very similar to the GTO technique described above, except this technique uses specific compression and cross fibre petrissage along the attachments of a muscle. This technique is best suited for flat tendons, muscles that don’t have a distinct and obvious tendon (ex. the scapular attachments of infraspinatus).

Answer 10

Origin Insertion Technique

Question 11

This technique attempts to reduce tension on the muscle spindle. The muscle spindle monitors the amount of tension in a muscle and causes it to contract as a protective mechanism.

Answer 11

Muscle Approximation Technique