Opisthotonos, an inversely arched hyperextension of the spine, can be caused by a range of conditions, from meningitis to brain tumors. Hospitalization is required immediately for diagnosis and treatment.
A range of conditions, from meningitis to a brain tumor, could cause a person’s nervous system to fail. This could lead to an inversely arched hyperextension of the spine known as opisthotonos, which is also spelled opisthotonos, translated from the Greek to mean “tension from behind.” When this symptom appears, hospitalization is required immediately so that doctors can find the cause and attempt to treat it.
Since any number of serious conditions could cause opisthotonus, doctors will need to diagnose it as quickly as possible. Using fluid analysis, radiology, and even a spinal tap, the culprits are narrowed down so the patient can begin to feel relief. Until then, the painful and rigid arc of the condition will continue. According to the National Institutes of Health, this can happen to anyone at any age; however, the immature nervous systems of the very young are particularly vulnerable.
Meningitis from bacterial infection, which forms in the brain and spine, is a common cause of opisthotonus that doctors need to rule out. Tetanus is another, as are extreme cases of cerebral palsy and brain damage, known as kernicterus. Other suspects range from brain tumors and nervous system trauma to seizure disorders and electrolyte imbalance. Beyond these are even rarer conditions, such as stiff person syndrome and genetic conditions such as Krabbe or Gaucher disease. Certain chemicals such as the rat poison strychnine can cause spinal inversion, as can interactions of some antipsychotic drugs. Alcoholic mothers might give birth to children who rapidly develop opisthotonus as a side effect of withdrawal.
Locating the opisthotonos is not difficult. According to the University of Maryland Medical School, if the patient were forced into a supine position on their back, only the heels and head would touch the bed. There is no home treatment other than rushing to the emergency room, where a thorough analysis of your symptoms can help doctors get started immediately on countering the cause. Until then, preventing or relieving the pain of these spasms will be futile.
The treatment could travel any number of paths. A simple electrolyte imbalance, meningitis, or tetanus might require only basic medical attention and a quick recovery. Diagnosing an injury or genetic disorder may require more concerted physical therapy and medicinal approaches. Causes such as a tumor may require surgical excision and intense observation.
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