Muscle tone plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining various postures. However, muscle tone is also prone to problems, with high muscle tone being a typical condition that manifests as abnormal sleeping posture, physical incoordination, and other symptoms. High muscle tone generally does not disappear naturally.

Will High Muscle Tone Disappear Naturally?

No, high muscle tone does not disappear naturally. Muscle tone is the basis for maintaining various body postures and normal movement, and it manifests in various forms. For example, when a person is resting in a supine position, the tension present in the muscles of various parts of the body is called resting muscle tone. When the body is standing upright, although there is no significant contraction of the muscles, the muscles in the front and back of the body maintain a certain tension to maintain the standing posture and body stability, which is called postural muscle tone. The tension of the muscles during movement is called motor muscle tone, which is an important factor for ensuring continuous and smooth muscle movement (without trembling, twitching, or spasms). High muscle tone is manifested as straightening and adducting the lower limbs in a crossed scissors-like pattern.

Symptoms of High Muscle Tone

1. Hypertonia can lead to abnormal postures, which is often a typical manifestation of high muscle tone in infants, such as crossed legs caused by hypertonia of the adductor muscles of the lower limbs.

2. Myotonia refers to a persistent and excessive increase in muscle tone, similar to twitching, which is often seen in severe cases of high muscle tone in infants, such as decerebrate rigidity.

3. Incoordination of muscle tone refers to an imbalance between extensor and flexor muscle tone, often resulting in athetoid movements of the hands and feet.

Types of High Muscle Tone

1. Primary dystonia: This type of patient does not have a clear structural abnormality in the central nervous system. It is manifested as generalized abnormalities such as idiopathic torsion dystonia or focal abnormalities such as writer's cramp, blepharospasm, and spasmodic torticollis. Primary dystonia is the most common type.

2. Secondary dystonia: This type is caused by abnormal brain metabolism and structure, with the most commonly affected areas being the basal ganglia, globus pallidus, and posterior or medial nuclei of the thalamus.

3. Variant dystonia: This type is manifested as dystonia combined with other changes, including dopa-responsive dystonia and myoclonus dystonia.

4. Dystonia associated with genetic degenerative diseases: This type of dystonia is caused by degenerative diseases of the brain, such as dystonia associated with hepatolenticular degeneration.