What causes flaccid and spastic paralysis?

The disease is caused by degeneration of upper motor neurons in the motor cortex and of lower motor neurons in the brainstem and spinal cord. This combined loss of function causes spastic paralysis, flaccid muscle weakness, wasting, and fasciculations.

What does spasticity mean?

Definition. Spasticity is a condition in which there is an abnormal increase in muscle tone or stiffness of muscle, which might interfere with movement, speech, or be associated with discomfort or pain. Spasticity is usually caused by damage to nerve pathways within the brain or spinal cord that control muscle movement …

What is flaccidity in muscle?

Flaccid is a decrease or lack of muscle movement where the affected body part becomes floppy or without muscle tone and with diminished reflexes.

What diseases cause flaccid paralysis?

The causes of acute flaccid paralysis can be divided into diseases in which (1) viral infection and inflammation directly attack cell bodies of the lower motor neurons in the anterior horn of the spinal cord (anterior myelitis caused, for example, by polioviruses and other enteroviruses) and (2) an immunologically …

What toxin causes flaccid paralysis?

Symptoms of foodborne botulism Botulinum toxins are neurotoxic and therefore affect the nervous system. Foodborne botulism is characterized by descending, flaccid paralysis that can cause respiratory failure.

What causes spastic paralysis?

Spasticity is caused by an imbalance of signals from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to the muscles. This imbalance is often found in people with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury.

What are characteristics of spastic paralysis?

The main symptoms of pure hereditary spastic paraplegia are: a gradual weakness in the legs. increased muscle tone and stiffness (spasticity) problems peeing – such as an urgent need to pee, even when the bladder is not full.

What is spasticity a symptom of?

Spasticity is abnormal muscle tightness due to prolonged muscle contraction. It is a symptom associated with damage to the brain, spinal cord or motor nerves, and is seen in individuals with neurological conditions, such as: Cerebral palsy (CP) Multiple sclerosis (MS) Stroke.

What does spasticity feel like?

Spasticity may be as mild as the feeling of tightness of muscles or may be so severe as to produce painful, uncontrollable spasms of extremities, usually of the legs. Spasticity may also produce feelings of pain or tightness in and around joints, and can cause low back pain.

What causes muscle flaccidity?

This abnormal condition may be caused by disease or by trauma affecting the nerves associated with the involved muscles. For example, if the somatic nerves to a skeletal muscle are severed, then the muscle will exhibit flaccid paralysis. When muscles enter this state, they become limp and cannot contract.

What does flaccidity mean?

1a : not firm or stiff also : lacking normal or youthful firmness flaccid muscles. b of a plant part : deficient in turgor. 2 : lacking vigor or force flaccid leadership.