LETS UNDERSTAND THE MUSCLE TONE

 

WHAT IS MUSCLE TONE? 

 Muscle tone is the maintenance of partial contraction of a muscle. It is the inherent resistance of the skeletal muscles to passive movement. Muscle tone is the resting tension in a muscle. A few motor units in the muscle continue to contract even in the resting state, thereby causing muscle tone. However this tension is not so strong so as to cause a movement. It is important for generating reflexes, maintaining posture and balance, controlling proper functioning of the organ system.

 WHY IS MUSCLE TONE IMPORTANT? 

Your muscle tone keeps you prepared to perform any action or movement, helps maintain balance and posture, it generates heat that keeps the muscles healthy and ensures efficient flow of blood to them. Muscle tone allows for a quick unconscious response to any sudden internal or external stimuli. 

These are some of the areas in which a healthy muscle tone provides an enhanced productivity, 

● Maintaining a well aligned posture.

● Reduce the risks of postural dysfunctional diseases in the later stages of life. E.g. Sprains, arthritis, spondylitis, spondylolisthesis etc.

● Ensure joint stability and strength.

● Leads to improved stamina 

● Healthy muscle tone reduces the risks of falling sick frequently. 

● Assists in efficient functioning of the internal organs. 

● Ensures healthy bowel and bladder movements. 

● Improves the levels of attentiveness and alertness. 

● Muscle tone contributes in the speed and amount of movements that can be achieved. 

WHAT IS NORMAL MUSCLE TONE?

 Normal tone means that there is the right amount of “tension” inside the muscle at rest and that the muscle is inherently able to contract on command. In other words you tell your muscle to stop and start and it is able to do so with the appropriate amount of force. Example : Eating food kept in plate on a table. You are sitting on a chair with your arms resting on your lap and you want to eat a bread that is kept in a plate on a table in front of you. Your hand will extend touch the bread, grasp it without crushing it, bring it closer to the mouth (precisely directed towards the mouth) and eat. So basically your muscles were able to do exactly what you wanted them to do with precision and coordination. 

 TYPES OF MUSCLE TONE

 1. NORMAL MUSCLE TONE

Means there is is the right amount of tension in the muscle and the muscle is in a prepared state to contract appropriately on command.

2. HIGH MUSCLE TONE (HYPERTONIA) Means there is excessive tension in the muscles even at rest. In other words the muscles are in state or tightness and contraction even though not performing any function. These muscles when demanded for a movement may perform sudden jerky, in coordinated movements and overshooting or undershooting the target. Thus fail to reach the target. E.g., When asked to give Hi5, the arm would either land before the target hand or beyond the target hand like in spastic cerebral palsy.

3. LOW MUSCLE TONE (HYPOTONIA) 

Means there is not enough tension in the muscles when at rest. Hypotonic muscles feel slightly mushy or floppy when palpated. Hypotonic muscles may fail to provide graded control over any movements performed. These muscles need to be awakened by warm up activities. E.g. Child with hypotonic muscles may struggle to sit upright for any amount of time, May struggle with writing legibly. 

SYMPTOMS OF POOR MUSCLE TONE

 

● Decreased strength. 

● Increased flexibility and movement in joints. 

● Poor endurance. 

● Fatigues quickly. 

● Poor posture. 

● Increased flexibility. 

● Increasing susceptibility to injuries. 

● Poor persistence to gross motor tasks. 

● Lack appropriate body awareness. 

● Delayed speech. 

● Poor posture. 

● Low arousal levels. 

● Lack of attentiveness and interest in given tasks.

 CONDITIONS LEADING TO ABNORMAL MUSCLE TONE. 

● Dermatomyositis 

● Compartment syndrome 

● Myasthenia Gravis 

● Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 

● Mitochondrial myopathies 

● Poliomylitis 

● Fibromyalgia 

HOW DOES MUSCLE TONE IMPACT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT?

 1. FEEDING : Poor muscle tone can reduce sucking ability, making feeding difficult. Some infants may find it difficult to latch onto breastfeed or maintaining a lip seal around the bottle. The infant may gain weight at a slower rate than other babies. Some signs that indicate poor feeding due to weak muscle tone are: - excessive fluid loss during feeding - frequents breaks while feeding - constant drooling - flat cheek pads that help in sucking - unable to blow - weak bite force in children - difficulty in spitting 

2. SPEECH : Speech difficulties can result from hypotonia. Children with low muscle tone learn to speak later than their peers, even if they appear to understand a large vocabulary, or can obey simple commands. Difficulties with muscles in the mouth and jaw can inhibit proper pronunciation, and discourage experimentation with word combination and sentence formation.

3. ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE : Difficulty with writing legibly is one of the common concerns observed in children with poor muscle tone. Due to poorly strengthened grip over the pencil children often adopt an adapted thumb wrap grip. This imposes an undue stress over the already hypermobile joints. Due to these concerns children fail to develop drawing skills as well. Some of the other markers in academic skills indicating poor muscle tone, - Poor control over shoulder movements. - Difficulty sitting erect - Poor graphic skills to draw straight and curved lines - Avoidance of tasks that require attention and persistence. 

 4. EYES - Poorly focused eye balls. - Movement of eye balls with head movement - Delayed eye ball movement with respect to the head movement. 

Dr. Maria Jennifer Saldanha (P.T.)

(B.P.T., C.A.F.T.I.)

For Home visits and online consultations

call  +918454948909.