A contracture means some sort of permanent structural change has occurred in your skin, muscle, ligament and/or tendon tissue that causes a contraction distortion. Often contracting joints into deformity.
A contracture develops when stretchy connective tissue is replaced by inelastic tissue. As a result, normal joint movement is prevented due to inability to stretch through its full range of motion.
Contractures can deform any joint, and its most frequent causes are scarring, immobilization, inactivity or muscle imbalance. Diseases that prevent a joint from full extension can cause contracture deformities as well.
Some health conditions that cause or contribute to joint deformity contracture complication are:
- ALS
- coma
- stroke
- scleroderma
- cerebral palsy
- nerve damage
- Rett Syndrome
- muscle atrophy
- juvenile myositis
- vascular disease
- Wilson’s disease
- multiple sclerosis
- muscular dystrophy
- scarring ~ injury, burns
- neuromuscular disease
- brain, spinal cord injury
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- long-term spasticity, spasms, dystonia
- epidermolysis bullosa ~ scarring from blisters
- arthritis ~ juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis
Hammertoe is a toe contracture for which one of its causes is wearing ill fitting shoes.
Dupuytren’s contracture is the contracture beneath the skin on your palm and fingers. This causes tendons to tighten which creates a hand joint deformity. Risk factors for Dupuytren’s contracture are:
Basic treatment for a contracture is stretching to increase joint elasticity. And application of heat before stretching treatment may assist with additional range of motion.
Treatment techniques used to provide a constant stretch to the soft tissue surrounding a joint to prevent a contracture include:
- casting
- splinting
- continuous passive motion machine
In some cases, a contracture may so severe that it doesn’t respond to stretching treatment. Thus surgery may be required.