Hypertonicity and immobility of muscles, which cause difficulty in movement - rigidity. The least serious manifestation is limited movement the next day after excessive physical exertion and muscle fatigue. Lactic acid and other metabolic products accumulate in the tissues. However, rigidity also occurs due to improper functioning of the nervous system. The disease has quite serious consequences (muscular paralysis of the whole body), so treatment should be started without delay.
What pathologies lead to stiffness?
- Protrusion, herniated disc and other diseases of the spine.
- Sore joints or their deformation.
- Infections.
- Ankylosing spondylitis.
- Lack of physical activity and muscle dystrophy.
- Lack of minerals in the body.
- Excessive amount of salts in the body.
- Tunnel syndrome.
- Frequent stress and emotional overload.
Rigidity can be provoked by alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, etc.
Stiffness in the calf muscles of the legs and movements
Constant stiffness in leg movements can be caused by vascular insufficiency. This could be varicose veins of the lower extremities, atherosclerosis, obliterating endarteritis, etc. But much more often, stiffness of the leg muscles is associated with pathologies of the lumbosacral spine. Pairs of radicular nerves depart from it, which provide innervation to the lower extremities and coordinate the contractility of the leg muscles.
With osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine, destruction of the intervertebral disc occurs. As a result of protrusion, the radicular nerve is damaged. Radiculitis may occur, and subsequently nerve fiber degeneration. Compression of the sciatic nerve leads to a feeling of numbness in the lower extremities. Then, as the pathology progresses, there is a feeling of stiffness in the leg muscles.
Stiffness in the calf muscles can also be a consequence of varicose veins and venous insufficiency. But in most patients, this condition is associated with compression of the fibular nerve in the popliteal fossa. Tunnel syndrome is associated with the habit of sitting with one leg crossed over one leg.
What symptoms indicate muscle stiffness?
Often a person initially feels minor joint pain and slight discomfort in the back. Later, the pain intensifies, stiffness becomes more obvious, and spasms appear even at rest.
Exacerbation of the condition is provoked by neuroses, stress, and excessive emotional stress. A person tries to move less. An exacerbation can last for several days, and pain and discomfort cause night awakenings and insomnia.
With cervical radiculitis, when the neck muscles are spasmed, patients complain of throbbing pain in the back of the head.
People suffering from the disease often experience spinal curvature and lumbar lordosis. This changes the gait: the head and back are bowed forward, the arms are bent at the elbows and pressed tightly to the body.
Stiffness in the neck and shoulder muscles
Stiffness in the neck muscles can occur in the morning or occur after prolonged static tension, for example, when working at a computer. Both of these conditions can be a consequence of the same disease - osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Constant stiffness of the muscles of the neck and shoulders always indicates that the innervation process is disrupted due to compression of the radicular nerve. In this situation, the following pathologies should be excluded:
- osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
- intervertebral disc protrusion;
- instability of the vertebrae or retrolisthesis;
- spondyloarthrosis and uncovertebral arthrosis;
- sprain of the ligamentous and muscular apparatus with subsequent cicatricial changes.
Sometimes stiffness appears when the glenohumeral joint of the bones is damaged. Arthrosis of the shoulder joint can also cause secondary stiffness of the muscles in the neck and collar area.
How to get rid of stiffness of movement
To relieve pain, it is often recommended to completely eliminate the load on the disturbing part of the body. If the joint and muscles are not stressed for too long, adhesions may form. After the acute period, you should begin to perform circular movements that involve the entire surface of the joint. Exercises should be performed at a comfortable air temperature. The body itself will gradually begin to secrete joint lubricant.
For any manifestations, active warming amplitude movements and fixation in static positions should be done. This is necessary for pumping muscles and activating the performance of joint cartilage.
Stiffness caused by physical overload is treated with massages, physiotherapy, heating, and exercises on a specific muscle. For more severe forms, the following are recommended: hydrotherapy, wax baths, hot wraps, diathermy. For unbearable pain, the doctor may prescribe pain-relieving injections, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, a course of manual therapy, and reflexology.
Treatment of muscle stiffness - how to relieve discomfort?
Treatment for muscle stiffness begins with an examination and an accurate diagnosis. This condition is a clinical symptom of various pathologies. Each of them is amenable to different types of treatment. Therefore, a correct diagnosis is the shortest way to relieve the unpleasant sensations of stiffness.
We invite you to a free initial consultation. In our manual therapy clinic, you will see an experienced doctor who will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.
Therapeutic massage and osteopathy help relieve muscle stiffness. They enhance blood microcirculation and eliminate lymphostasis. For osteochondrosis of the spine and protrusions of the intervertebral discs, traction traction is used. These procedures increase the spaces between the vertebral bodies and completely relieve compression on the radicular nerves.
To achieve a long-term effect, it is necessary to conduct classes with a set of exercises of therapeutic gymnastics and kinesitherapy. They are developed by the doctor individually after assessing the condition of the muscular frame of the back, body and limbs.
What to do to prevent muscle stiffness from bothering you
For prevention, it is important to adhere to fairly simple rules:
- Adequate load every day.
- Proper nutrition that will maintain a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals in the body.
- Quitting smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, and narcotic substances.
- Timely treatment of infectious diseases.
- Examination by a doctor once every six months for timely detection of diseases.
- Avoiding situations and circumstances in which you can get hypothermia.
- An adequate attitude towards health is to prevent damage to the musculoskeletal system. For example, in icy conditions, wear comfortable shoes with non-slip soles. so as not to fall. Do not lift or jerk heavy weights in the gym. Do not lift heavy bags in the store.
- Sleep in a comfortable position; you can use an orthopedic pillow and mattress.
- If the work is sedentary, then do exercises during breaks.
- No stress and depression.
Stiffness in the back and body muscles
Constant stiffness of the body muscles is a symptom of systemic pathological processes. This may be a disorder of uric acid metabolism, renal pathology, edema syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, chondropathy and many other diseases. This is how rheumatism can manifest itself.
The appearance of stiffness in the back muscles is a signal to conduct an examination of the spinal column. Widespread osteochondrosis in the initial stages does not cause severe pain. It manifests itself in the form of muscle stiffness and loss of flexibility. If a feeling of stiffness appears exclusively in the morning, immediately after waking up, then this is most likely a symptom of ankylosing spondylitis.
For diagnosis, it is enough to take an x-ray of the spine. If characteristic protrusions are detected, a diagnosis of osteochondrosis is made. And if salts are deposited in the area of the endplates of the vertebral bodies, osteosclerosis or ankylosing spondylitis should be suspected.
Diseases of the extrapyramidal system (Parkinson's disease and others)
Parkinson's disease (“shaking palsy” - shaking palsy)
is a slowly progressive chronic disease that belongs to neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and is characterized by the death of neurons that produce a special substance - dopamine. Insufficient production of dopamine leads to the appearance of the main symptoms of the disease:
- slowness of movements (bradykinesia);
- stiffness of movement (muscle rigidity);
- shaking (tremors);
- loss of balance (postural instability).
The leading symptoms of the disease lead to the fact that movements become constrained, awkwardness appears when doing usual things, and movements become impoverished. In addition, handwriting becomes smaller, in some cases trembling of the hands and feet occurs, small movements of the hands become difficult, it becomes difficult to fasten buttons, brush teeth, get dressed, tie shoelaces, and cut food. Trembling increases with excitement and persists at rest. Gradually, instability and unsteadiness appear when walking, and any jolt can lead to loss of balance and even a fall. Over time, the patient's gait changes. The sum of all symptoms negatively affects the patient’s quality of life and his usual activity at work and at home.
Causes of Parkinson's disease
The causes of the disease have not been established. The possibility of genetic predisposition with the participation of environmental factors is accepted. There are several hypotheses that link the development of the disease with the following factors: early or “accelerated” aging of brain neurons under the influence of a biochemical defect, disorders in the immune system, exposure to external or internal toxic agents, etc.
Symptoms of Parkinson's disease
The following symptoms, which are especially characteristic of Parkinson's disease, are considered the main or leading ones. As a rule, the symptoms of the disease first appear and develop on one side of the body, and only then - less pronounced - on the other.
Slowness of movement (bradykinesia)
This means difficulty in movement. Movements become slow and range of motion decreases. A typical example of bradykinesia is a short step, slow walking, inhibited gestures and facial expressions, quiet and monotonous speech, and small handwriting.
Stiffness in movement (muscle rigidity)
This symptom is expressed in stiffness in the movements of parts of the body. When a person with Parkinson's disease moves an arm or leg, difficulty in movement becomes noticeable. This is due to increased muscle tone. As the disease progresses, muscle rigidity increases, which leads to the development of a characteristic posture: the head is bent and tilted forward, the arms are bent at the elbow joints and pressed to the body, the back and legs are bent. Some patients can maintain positions for long periods of time that are impossible for healthy people, for example, lying with their head above the pillow.
Trembling (tremor)
Tremor is the first symptom of Parkinson's disease in many patients, but in 30% it may be completely absent. In most cases, tremors begin in an arm or leg and can gradually occur in other parts of the body. The most typical are rhythmic movements of one finger of the hand towards the others, which is reminiscent of counting coins or rolling pills. Typically, the tremor is more pronounced at rest and noticeably decreases or disappears with targeted movements. Emotional stress often increases tremors.
Postural instability
As the disease progresses, patients become unsteady when standing and walking. The cause is imbalances resulting from weakened stabilizing reflexes. Such imbalances may be felt as dizziness or fear of falling. Severe balance disorders in Parkinson's disease lead to falls and even injuries. In older patients, the risk of injury increases due to concomitant osteoporosis and muscle weakness.
Memory impairment and mental disorders
Over time, the disease leads to impaired attention, memory, difficulty in orientation, and slowness of thinking. Sometimes indifference (apathy) and indifference (lack of initiative, abulia) appear. Many patients also experience mental disorders, depression, phobias, insomnia, and sometimes delusions and hallucinations. These manifestations of the disease are often very severe, both for the
Currently, a special scale by Hoehn and Yahr is used to assess disorders associated with Parkinson's disease. According to this classification, any case of the disease can be classified into one of 5 stages:
Stage I
- symptoms of the disease are present only on one side of the body;
Stage II
— bilateral symptoms without disturbances in stability while walking;
Stage III
- bilateral symptoms with impaired stability while walking;
IV stage
- immobility, need for outside help. In this case, the patient is able to walk and/or stand without support;
Stage V
- the patient is confined to a chair or bed. Severe disability.
Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is established on the basis of complaints, medical history and the presence of characteristic clinical symptoms. Instrumental research methods allow the doctor to further confirm his assumption, since it is impossible to identify specific markers of the disease in the blood or brain during routine studies.
It should be remembered that many symptoms characteristic of Parkinson's disease can also appear in other diseases, so the diagnosis must be made by a qualified neurologist.
Since the effectiveness of treatment for Parkinson's disease directly depends on the stage at which therapy is started, diagnosis must be carried out if there is any suspicion.
Treatment of Parkinson's disease
There are currently no methods to cure Parkinson's disease. However, proper therapy, selected by a qualified physician, reduces the severity of symptoms, improves the quality of life of patients and prolongs the period of activity.
What are the possible treatment options for Parkinson's disease?
Treatment of Parkinson's disease covers three important areas:
- drug (symptomatic) therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- neurosurgical treatment.
Drug therapy
Parkinson's disease requires long-term medication. The choice of drug and the regimen for taking it is determined by the attending physician. When an illness occurs, the content of dopamine in the brain decreases, therefore, to treat the disease, substances are taken that increase its content:
Levodopa (L-dopa)
A precursor to dopamine, the mainstay of therapy for Parkinson's disease. Unlike dopamine itself, ingested L-dopa can enter the brain through a natural barrier. Levodopa reduces symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as slowness and stiffness. With tremors, the therapeutic effect is achieved in 50-60% of patients. The dosage regimen, daily and single dose of the drug are determined for each patient individually. The result of treatment largely depends on the qualifications of the attending physician and his ability to select the optimal treatment regimen for each individual patient.
Dopamine receptor agonists
Substances that enhance the effect of dopamine. Once in the blood, they enhance the effect of dopamine and cause the same effects as levodopa. Being the drugs of choice, they are used as initial therapy in patients under 65 years of age.
Amantadins
They block glutamate NMDA receptors, have an indirect effect on dopamine receptors, and increase the extracellular concentration of dopamine.
Monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors
There are enzymes in the body that break down dopamine. Decreasing the activity of these enzymes naturally increases the concentration of dopamine in the nervous system. The effect of taking these drugs is similar to that of levodopa, although its severity is much less pronounced. These drugs allow you to enhance the effects of levodopa without increasing or even decreasing its dose.
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