Guide to Yoga Therapy for Spasticity (Muscle Stiffness)

by Meghashree Das

Spasticity is one of the root causes for which the muscles can start stiffening. One of the main things that happen is that Spasticity exercises with the help of yoga do not mainly target the muscles but also require the entire brain. 

Since the root cause of Spasticity lies in the hinge of the brain and the nervous system, rehabilitation mostly starts there. 

With the help of this article, we will let you understand the uses of yoga and how Spasticity can be controlled by performing various exercises by understanding the root cause of it. 

The Little Known Cause of Spasticity

Before we start, we need to know about the root causes of Spasticity and what might be affected. Spasticity can be characterized by the stiffness or tightness of muscles resulting from the disrupted signals from the central nervous system. It is the most particular type of hypertonia which is even known as the increased muscle tone. When hypertonia happens in the affected region, this is where the spasms of the muscles are increased by each, and every movement caused. 

For instance, if you are moving your spasmic arm or leg, then it might tighten the muscle around it, causing stiffness which can lead to uneasiness. This is why doctors always ensure that people who are suffering from Spasticity or muscle stiffness should avoid movement at all costs. 

One of the main drawbacks of this condition is that it can cause a secondary effect such as neurological injuries such as stroke or a traumatic assessment to the brain directly. It is essential to keep the muscle stiffness in check so that the condition does not worsen at any cost. 

The central nervous system is rightfully aligned.

The best way through which spasticity or muscle stiffness can be looked upon is when the brain and the interconnection of the nervous system are checked properly. Doctors have said over a period of time that Spasticity is mainly connected to the central nervous system, so there is always a connection shared between the cause and effect relationship. 

Normally when it happens in the body, your muscles are always in constant communication with your brain via the help of the motor neuron. 

This even proclaims the type of tension that your muscle might be feeling. When there is neurological damage that occurs to the brain, the muscles can no longer stay in constant connection that it receives with the help of the motor signals. As a result, there are the affected muscles that can stay in the prolonged stay of contradiction, and there is an inability to relax among the individual. 

This is when the stiffness first starts to take place. Here are the early onset signs of stiffness that people need to keep a check on properly. 

  1. Inability to move. 
  2. Tightness or stiffness in the affected region. 
  3. A slight pain that might occur from time to time. 
  4. Inability to perform any tasks. 
  5. Uneasiness and pressure in the affected region. 
  6. Paralysis of one side of the body(extreme). 
  7. Not able to form words due to a stroke. (extreme)

How can yoga help to relieve it?

When it comes to the nervous system, then the brain and the central system are aligned to each other. As for the connection that they are adjoined, it becomes an imbalance in the extremities, the hips, or the shoulders, which will eventually affect the condition of the spine. 

Yoga therapy is what attends the mind of the affected and those who are seeking to relieve the pain right from the root. Understanding the root cause of the pain is important, and this is what yoga does. Yoga therapy for Spasticity can bring back the balance in the posture and control all the muscle stiffness that one faces. 

There are asanas that are present such as inverted techniques that affect the central nervous system as a whole. Yoga therapy for Spasticity (muscle stiffness) is the most common solution for it. Yoga therapy for Spasticity (muscle stiffness is used because of the postures which are taught to relieve someone from the pain and also because of the art through which yoga targets more of what is beneath and beyond.

Inverted postures free the spine from every sort of compression or the pressure which is formed on the trap of the nerves of the spine. There are restorative postures that can help to calm down the body and relieve all the pain or reflexes that might cause more stiffness. 

Conclusion

It is important for everyone to follow Yoga therapy for Spasticity (muscle stiffness) that can help remove complications and make sure that the muscle spasms are corrected within a week. A healthy spine is crucial for the mind and keeps the nervous system calm and active too. Also, it is important to follow these tips every single day to see better results sooner than before.