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Skeletal Muscle Relaxants: Adverse Effects01:21

Skeletal Muscle Relaxants: Adverse Effects

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Skeletal muscle relaxants are widely used for muscle paralysis and relieving pain following any muscle injury or stiffness. However, depending on the drug type, they can have adverse effects that range from mild to severe. Usually, nondepolarizing neuromuscular blockers have minimal side effects. For example, drugs like d-tubocurarine, cisatracurium, and rocuronium cause hypotension, whereas drugs like baclofen, when stopped abruptly, can lead to the recurrence of spastic conditions.
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Classification of Skeletal Muscle Relaxants01:28

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Skeletal muscle relaxants are a group of drugs that can reduce muscle stiffness and induce temporary paralysis to relieve pain. These agents can act centrally to reduce muscle tone or spasms in painful conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or spinal injuries; they are called antispasmodics or spasmolytics.
Peripherally acting skeletal muscle relaxants interfere with the neurotransmission at the neuromuscular end plate to induce paralysis during...
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Skeletal Muscle Relaxants: Therapeutic Uses01:31

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Skeletal muscle relaxants are used to relax muscle tone and alleviate painful muscle contractions. However, the choice of skeletal muscle relaxants depends on the duration of the surgical procedure in order to minimize potential side effects. Skeletal muscle relaxants like neuromuscular blocking agents [NMBAs] are commonly employed as adjuvants alongside general anesthetics in clinical settings. NMBAs are also used to maintain controlled ventilation during surgery of the larynx or pharynx...
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Centrally Acting Muscle Relaxants: Therapeutic Uses01:24

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Centrally acting muscle relaxants reduce muscle tone and tension by interfering with the postsynaptic reflexes in the central nervous system.
Centrally acting drugs are classified into spasmolytic and antispasmodic drugs. Spasmolytic drugs such as baclofen, diazepam, and tizanidine inhibit spinal motor neurons and decrease muscle tone. Spasmolytic drugs are administered for severe and chronic spasms due to multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, and spinal cord and muscle injuries. However,...
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Directly Acting Muscle Relaxants: Dantrolene and Botulinum Toxin01:26

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Directly acting muscle relaxants like dantrolene and botulinum toxin (BoNT) have distinct mechanisms and applications. Dantrolene, a hydantoin derivative, acts on the ryanodine receptor (RYR1) in skeletal muscle cells. RYR1 are calcium channels present at the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane. In response to excitation, they release calcium ions from the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol. Calcium promotes actin-myosin-mediated contraction of muscles.
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Spasmolytic Agents: Chemical Classification01:29

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Spasmolytic agents are drugs used to alleviate muscle spasms and spasticity. They can be categorized into different chemical groups based on their mechanisms of action. Centrally acting spasmolytics primarily affect the spinal cord, while others directly target skeletal muscle cells.
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Prophylactic stretching does not reduce cramp susceptibility.

Kevin C Miller1, James D Harsen1, Blaine C Long1

  • 1School of Rehabilitation and Medical Sciences, Central Michigan University, 1208 Health Professions Building, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, 48859, USA.

Muscle & Nerve
|August 11, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Static and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching increased toe extension but did not alter cramp threshold frequency. Acute stretching may not be effective in preventing muscle cramps.

Keywords:
electrical stimulationflexor hallucis brevisinhibitionproprioceptive neuromuscular facilitationrange of motionstatic stretchingthreshold frequency

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Area of Science:

  • Sports Medicine
  • Neuromuscular Physiology
  • Exercise Science

Background:

  • Clinicians often recommend stretching to prevent muscle cramps.
  • The effectiveness of static or PNF stretching on cramp susceptibility remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether static or PNF stretching influences cramp threshold frequency (TFc).
  • To quantify changes in range of motion (ROM) following stretching interventions.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over study involving fifteen participants.
  • Measurements included passive hallux ROM and TFc before and after 3 minutes of static stretching, PNF stretching, or no stretching.

Main Results:

  • Both static and PNF stretching significantly increased hallux extension ROM.
  • Neither stretching method altered hallux flexion ROM or significantly affected TFc.
  • TFc remained unchanged across all conditions (no stretching, PNF, static).

Conclusions:

  • While static and PNF stretching enhance joint range of motion, they do not increase the cramp threshold frequency.
  • Acute stretching interventions may not be sufficient to prevent muscle cramping.