Neurological Health Assessment

• Flaccidity is the inability to maintain a normal posture and position.
• Spasticity is the involuntary contraction of muscles that results from damage to the spinal cord
• Rigidity is the ability to maintain a fixed position or posture despite the presence of a strong stimulus, inability of the muscles to relax normally
• Cogwheel rigidity is a type of rigidity in which a muscle responds with cogwheel like jerks to the use of constant force in bending the limb
• Paralysis is not being able to move som or all of the body
• Fasciculation is involuntary rapid muscle twitches that occur in the absence of a stimulus
• Tic is sudden twitches, movements, or sounds that people do repeatedly
• Myoclonus is a sudden, brief, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles
• Tremor: an involuntary quivering movement
• Chorea is a symptom that causes involuntary, irregular, or unpredictable muscle movements
• Athetosis is slow, writhing and continuous worm-like movement of the limbs or trunk
• Spastic hemiparesis is a type of cerebral palsy that causes muscle tightness and involuntary contractions in the limbs and extremities on one side of the body
• Cerebellar ataxia is poor muscle control that causes clumsy movements
• Parkinsonian (festinating) is rapid, small steps done in an attempt to keep the gravity in between the feet while the trunk leans forward involuntarily and shift the centre of gravity forward
• Waddling gait is when the foot is dragged along the ground, which creates a duck-like walk
• Scissors gait is when the legs move apart as they swing through during walking
• Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture
• Muscular dystrophy is a group of genetic disease that causes progressive weakness and degeneration of skeletal muscles
• Hemiplegia is one-sided muscle paralysis or weakness
• Paraplegia is inability to voluntarily move the lower parts of the body
• Spinal cord hemisection (Brown-Séquard syndrome) is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the spinal cord.
• Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that affects the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
• Decorticate is abnormal flexion of the arms with the extension of the legs.
• Decerebrate is abnormal extension of the arms and legs.
• Flaccid Quadreplegia is muscles don't work at all and remain flaccid or limp
• Opisthotonos is the condition of being bent backwards, as in a hunchback