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NINDS Hypertonia Information Page

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Table of Contents (click to jump to sections)
What is Hypertonia?
Is there any treatment?
What is the prognosis?
What research is being done?

Organizations

What is Hypertonia?
Hypertonia is a condition marked by an abnormal increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch. It is caused by injury to motor pathways in the central nervous system, which carry information from the central nervous system to the muscles and control posture, muscle tone, and reflexes. When the injury occurs in children under the age of 2, the term cerebral palsy is often used. Hypertonia can be so severe that joint movement is not possible. Untreated hypertonia can lead to loss of function and deformity. Hypertonia may result from injury, disease, or conditions such as spasticity, dystonia (prolonged muscle contractions that cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal posture), rigidity, or a combination of factors. Spastic hypertonia involves uncontrollable muscle spasms, stiffening or straightening out of muscles, shock-like contractions of all or part of a group of muscles, and abnormal muscle tone. It is seen in disorders such as cerebral palsy, stroke, and spinal cord injury. Dystonic hypertonia refers to muscle resistance to passive stretching (in which a therapist gently stretches the inactive contracted muscle to a comfortable length at very low speeds of movement) and a tendency of a limb to return to a fixed involuntary (and sometimes abnormal) posture following movement. It is seen is the different forms of dystonia and sometimes in parkinsonism. Rigidity is an involuntary stiffening or straightening out of muscles, accompanied by abnormally increased muscle tone and the reduced ability of a muscle to stretch. This type of hypertonia is most common in parkinsonism

Is there any treatment?

Drugs such as baclofen, diazepam, and dantrolene may be prescribed to reduce spasticity. All of these drugs can be taken by mouth, but baclofen may also be injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid. Injections of botulinum toxin are a recent treatment for chronic hypertonia in cerebral palsy, spasticity, and other disorders. Rehabilitative treatment may involve range of motion exercises, active stretching exercises, and occupational therapy. In severe cases, clinicians may use selective dorsal rhizotomy, a surgical procedure in which the nerves that cause spasticity are cut. Dystonic hypertonia and rigidity can be treated with therapies directed to the underlying disorders.

What is the prognosis?

Hypertonia is sometimes painful and can lead to functional limitation, disability, or, in severe cases, reduced quality of life.

What research is being done?

NINDS supports research on brain and spinal cord disorders that can cause hypertonia. The goals of this research are to learn more about how the nervous system adapts after injury or disease and to find ways to prevent and treat these disorders.

Select this link to view a list of studies currently seeking patients.

Organizations

Dystonia Medical Research Foundation
1 East Wacker Drive
Suite 2430
Chicago, IL   60601-1905
dystonia@dystonia-foundation.org
http://www.dystonia-foundation.org
Tel: 312-755-0198
Fax: 312-803-0138

 Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
636 Morris Turnpike
Suite 3A
Short Hills, NJ   07078
info@christopherreeve.org
http://www.christopherreeve.org
Tel: 973-379-2690 800-225-0292
Fax: 973-912-9433
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) Research & Educational Foundation
1025 Connecticut Avenue
Suite 701
Washington, DC   20036
national@ucp.org
http://www.ucpresearch.org
Tel: 202-496-5060 800-USA-5UCP (872-5827)
Fax: 202-776-0414

  


Prepared by:
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD 20892



NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient's medical history.

All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.

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Last updated February 13, 2007