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Related Concept Videos

Disorders of the Skeletal Muscle01:28

Disorders of the Skeletal Muscle

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The clinical conditions affecting the skeletal muscle tissue are broadly categorized as musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders.
Musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders involve injuries and conditions affecting the skeletal muscles and associated connective tissues. These disorders can arise from acute biomechanical stresses or chronic overuse and can occur across different age groups. Common injuries include sprains, fractures, and muscular strains, often resulting from...
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Motor Unit Stimulation01:20

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When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
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The contraction strength of muscles is regulated by motor neurons, which modulate the frequency of action potentials dispatched to the motor units based on the body's requirements. This process of varying the muscle stimulation frequency allows muscles to contract with a force that is precisely tailored to the needs of the moment, whether lifting a feather or a heavy box.
Wave summation
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Seizures: Classification01:13

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Epilepsy is primarily characterized by unpredictable seizures, either provoked by an identifiable factor, such as injury or illness, or unprovoked, occurring spontaneously without apparent cause.
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Somatic Spinal Reflexes01:22

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Somatic spinal reflexes are rapid, involuntary muscular responses to external stimuli that involve the somatic musculature and the spinal cord.
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
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Fascicle Arrangement in Skeletal Muscles01:25

Fascicle Arrangement in Skeletal Muscles

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Fascicles are bundles of muscle fibers in a skeletal muscle. Muscle fascicle arrangement is directly associated with the power and range of motion of various muscles. The configuration of these fascicles can vary, leading to different functional outcomes.
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Fasciculations in Children.

Hyoung Won Choi1

  • 1Division of Pediatric Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Lemoyne, Pennsylvania.

Pediatric Neurology
|October 10, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Fasciculations, or muscle twitches, are common in children but can signal rare disorders. This review guides pediatric neurologists in diagnosing the cause of these muscle contractions.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pediatrics
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Fasciculations are common, spontaneous muscle contractions often seen in healthy individuals.
  • While typically benign, fasciculations can indicate underlying neurologic disorders.
  • Limited literature exists on evaluating fasciculations in pediatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review key pediatric disorders associated with fasciculations.
  • To guide pediatric neurologists in the diagnostic evaluation of children with fasciculations.
  • To prevent unnecessary invasive or expensive investigations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of pediatric neuromuscular disorders presenting with fasciculations.
  • Analysis of differential diagnoses for spontaneous muscle contractions in children.
Keywords:
ChildrenFasciculationsMyokymiaNeuromyotoniaSpontaneous muscle contraction

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  • Synthesis of current knowledge to aid clinical decision-making.

    • Main Results:

    • Identified specific neurologic and rare neuromuscular disorders that manifest with fasciculations in children.
    • Highlighted the importance of considering a broad differential diagnosis.
    • Emphasized the potential for misdiagnosis or over-investigation.

    Conclusions:

    • Accurate diagnosis of pediatric fasciculations requires careful consideration of differential diagnoses.
    • This review provides a framework for pediatric neurologists to evaluate these symptoms effectively.
    • Timely and appropriate diagnosis can prevent unnecessary medical interventions.