The term "rigidity" is found in many areas of scientific knowledge. However, it is most often used in medicine, or rather, in physiology, where rigidity is hardness, contraction, reduction or ossification of something. So, let's consider what this disease is.
What is this?
Muscle rigidity is a sharp strong muscle contraction under the influence of a sudden tone of nerve endings that cause the work of a particular muscle. According to medical statistics, a similar ailment most often affects the neck area. Neck stiffness is a state of numbness resulting in reduced functionality of the entire cervical region. This occurs due to irritation of the membranes of the spinal cord or brain. The disease can be determined if the patient tries to tilt his head forward. If he does not reach his chest with his chin and experiences pain and tension in the muscles when he tilts his head forward, you can safely diagnose cervical stiffness.
Reasons
There are many reasons for stiffness.
1. Central Nervous System Disorders:
a) encephalitis,which can irritate the lining of the brain. In this case, such symptoms of rigidity as headache, fever, nausea, vomiting are observed. In almost 80% of cases, patients have a decrease in consciousness, inhibition of the reaction, often after an exacerbation of the disease, a coma is noted;
b) meningitis. Rigidity is the first and most obvious sign of meningitis. In turn, rigidity in meningitis is expressed through hyperreflexia and even opisthotonus;
c) subarachnoid bleeding. The disease can occur after a hemorrhage in the brain or spinal cord.
2. Musculoskeletal disorders:
a) cervical arthritis. With this disease, rigidity develops very slowly and gradually. Over time, the numbness becomes permanent and the neck starts to hurt all the time.
Decerebrate rigidity is a sharp increase in the tone of all muscles at the same time (as a rule, this applies to the flexion-extensor systems). This disease is accompanied by rotation of the arms and legs inward, opisthotonus. Its causes are damage to the midbrain, neoplasia in the temporal lobe of the brain, hemorrhage in the brain or ventricles of the heart, anoxia, poisoning, etc.
This pathology initially manifests itself in the form of cerebral convulsions, but over time, the impulses in the spinal cord subside and spasticity of the flexors-extensors occurs. In addition, patients can be identified byexternal signs: small stature, gait, reminiscent of the movement of a puppet, tetanus. Decerebrate rigidity can manifest itself in the cold by stopping the full functioning of the muscles of the arms and legs. Thus, if you find yourself or your loved ones have difficulty with movement or complaints of pain in the neck, you should immediately consult a doctor, since rigidity is a very insidious disease, and if left untreated, it can lead to complete paralysis of the muscles of the entire body.
