Muscle Tone

Muscle tone has several definitions that it is often confused with muscle strength. At present, when you see someone is “toned”, you would think that his/her muscles have a clearly define appearance. In this sense, muscle tone sounds desirable simply because it looks good and sounds healthy.

Nevertheless, the actual definition of muscle tone is the “unconscious low-level contraction of your muscles while they are at rest”. It is that firmness of your muscles while in a completely relaxed state. Your muscle tone prepares you for action, maintains your balance and posture, generates heat that keeps your muscles healthy, and allows for a quick, unconscious reaction to any sudden internal/ external stimuli.

One of the most common muscle tone problems is hypotonia, a decrease of muscle tone. It can be caused by a number of neurological conditions and non-neurological problems. This is because muscles depend on motor nerve signals that can be disrupted at the brain level, spinal-cord, or as a result of muscle nerve damage.

Problems with muscle tone are considered as symptoms of neurological conditions such as:

1. Cerebral palsy
2. Down syndrome
3. Parader-Willi syndrome
4. Brain and spinal cord injury
5. Severe infections (i.e. meningitis and encephalitis)
6. Connective tissue disorders
7. Premature birth

Poor muscle tone or hypotonia can happen at any age. Sometimes, the causes of muscle problems are unidentified. Nevertheless, here are the known signs of muscle tone problems:

1. Delay in fine and gross motor skills
2. Poor or no head control
3. Speech delay/ difficulties
4. Decrease in strength & endurance
5. Poor posture
6. Injury
7. Chronic / Severe illnesses
8. Inherited disorder