Skip to main content

Featured post

Breathing Exercises: Types, Techniques and Benefits

Breathing Exercises: Exercises for the lungs also referred to as breathing exercises , are essential for improving lung function and promoting respiratory health. These exercises are intended to strengthen respiratory muscles, increase lung capacity, and enhance the body's ability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. These breathing techniques are frequently used in medical settings: Diaphragmatic Breathing Pursed lip Breathing Segmental Breathing Diaphragmatic Breathing: The diaphragm , a dome-shaped muscle situated below the lungs, is used actively during diaphragmatic breathing, also referred to as deep belly breathing or abdominal breathing . By fully contracting the diaphragm, this technique focuses on expanding the lower part of the lungs, enabling deeper and more effective inhalation and exhalation. Technique: Look for a quiet location where you can sit or lie down. You can close your eyes to improve relaxation and focus. Put one hand on your upper chest and the other on

Mechanism of Muscle Relaxant


What are Muscle Relaxants? 

A class of medications known as muscle relaxants work by relaxing the skeletal muscles, reducing muscle tone, and relieving muscle spasms. 

While the specific drug determines the exact mechanism of action, most muscle relaxants reduce muscle activity by either acting on the central nervous system or interfering with the transmission of nerve impulses at the neuromuscular junction.



How do different muscle relaxants work on the body?

Peripheral muscle relaxants, like dantrolene, function by obstructing the release of calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum found in skeletal muscle cells. Calcium ions play a crucial role in muscle contraction, and by preventing their release, dantrolene reduces the amount of calcium accessible for muscle contraction. This leads to muscle relaxation.

Central muscle relaxants, such as baclofen and tizanidine, affect the central nervous system to decrease muscle activity.

Baclofen is a GABA agonist that binds to GABA-B receptors present in the spinal cord. This leads to hyperpolarization of spinal motor neurons and consequently reduces muscle tone. 

Tizanidine also works on the spinal cord by obstructing the release of stimulatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate and substance P. This inhibition results in a reduction of muscle activity.

Benzodiazepines are another type of central muscle relaxant, such as diazepam, which improve the activity of GABA-A receptors in the brain and spinal cord. GABA-A receptors are a type of inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors that decrease the excitability of neurons. As a result, they lead to a reduction in muscle tone.

Side effects of muscle relaxant:

Muscle relaxants are associated with multiple side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, and impaired coordination. 

These drugs can also interact with other medications, and their use must be closely monitored by a healthcare professional. 

Typically, muscle relaxants are prescribed for short-term use to treat acute muscle spasms resulting from conditions like neck pain, back pain, and fibromyalgia. For chronic muscle spasms, alternative therapies, such as physical therapy or surgery, may be considered.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What is Anatomical pulley? Example of Anatomical pulley

Understanding the Importance of Anatomical Pulleys in Physiotherapy As a physiotherapy student, it is essential to have a good understanding of the human body's anatomy and how it works. One of the essential structures in the body that plays a significant role in movement and biomechanics is the anatomical pulley. In this article, we will explore what an anatomical pulley is, its types, and its importance in physiotherapy. What is an Anatomical Pulley? A pulley is a simple mechanical machine that consists of a wheel that turns readily on the axle, usually grooved for a rope or a wire cable. In the human body, the pulley is replaced by a bone, cartilage, or ligament, and the cord is replaced by a muscle tendon. The tendon is lubricated by synovial fluid, and the surface of the tendon is covered by a thin visceral synovial membrane. The tendon is lubricated so that it may easily slide over the pulley. Classification of Anatomical Pulleys There are mainly four classes of pulleys

Electrotherapy Simplified by Basanta Kumar Nanda PDF Download

Electrotherapy Simplified  by Basanta Kumar Nanda The aim of this book is to focus on the electrotherapy simplified. Electrotherapy is one of the important aspects among the various approaches of patient management available to a physiotherapist. Electrotherapy Simplified has tried to give comprehensive knowledge on electrotherapy and actinotherapy, starting from basic electricity and magnetism to the theoretical and clinical aspects of the different modalities applied by physiotherapists.  This book consists of 19 chapters, which include an introduction, inflammation, repair, and role of physical agents, electrical fundamentals, magnetic energy, valves, transistors, and rectifiers, electrical measurement systems and distribution of electricity, electrophysiology of nerve transmission, and muscle contraction, low-frequency currents, electrodiagnosis, medium frequency currents, low-intensity laser therapy, ultraviolet radiation, and traction.  About 250 objective question answers have b

Base of Support (BOS) in Physiotherapy

The base of support means the area supported beneath the object. Whenever the base of support is more the stability will be more.  Greater the BOS lower the COG of any object. For example, the fundamental position of standing the BOS is lesser than the lying, so COG in the standing position it is in the higher level whereas in the lying posture it will be just near to the ground as a result lying posture is more stable than any other fundamental position and also it can be maintained for the longer period. The stability is directly proportional to BOS and inversely proportional to COG.