Your arm likely locks up due to spasticity, a condition caused by damage to your nervous system.
Understanding Spasticity
Spasticity makes your arm muscles stiff and tight, restricting movement. This can lead to your arm feeling "locked up." Involuntary muscle spasms or twitches may also occur.
Causes of Arm Spasticity
Spasticity develops when the signals between your brain and muscles are disrupted. Common causes include:
- Stroke: This is a frequent cause, as stroke can damage areas of the brain controlling movement.
- Brain Injury: Traumatic brain injuries can similarly disrupt nerve pathways.
- Spinal Cord Injury: Damage to the spinal cord interferes with communication between the brain and muscles.
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS): This autoimmune disease affects the brain and spinal cord, leading to various neurological symptoms, including spasticity.
- Cerebral Palsy: This group of disorders affects muscle movement and coordination, often stemming from brain damage during development.
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects motor neurons.
What Happens When Spasticity Occurs?
Normally, muscles contract and relax in a coordinated manner. With spasticity, the signals that control muscle tone are disrupted, leading to:
- Increased Muscle Tone: Muscles become unusually stiff.
- Involuntary Contractions: Muscles may contract suddenly and uncontrollably.
- Pain: Spasticity can cause muscle pain and discomfort.
- Limited Range of Motion: Stiffness can restrict your ability to move your arm freely.
What Should You Do?
If you're experiencing arm locking, seek medical evaluation from a doctor or neurologist. They can diagnose the cause of your spasticity and recommend appropriate treatment options. Treatment may include:
- Physical Therapy: Exercises and stretches to improve range of motion and reduce stiffness.
- Medications: Muscle relaxants or other medications to help control spasticity.
- Botulinum Toxin (Botox) Injections: Injections to weaken specific muscles and reduce spasms.
- Surgery: In severe cases, surgery may be necessary to release tight muscles or tendons.
