Alzheimer's Disease can manifest in numerous different ways. Some of the most apparent ones would be memory loss or communication difficulties, but there are lesser-known limitations that can be just as bothersome. One of these deficits would be linked to the musculoskeletal system. A person suffering from Alzheimer's can expect to have stiff muscles. This can be quite challenging for patients and family members to cope with.
What is the connection between stiff muscles and Alzheimer's Disease?
Alzheimer's Disease is considered to be a neurodegenerative disease. Significant brain changes will occur before subsequent pathways are affected. This is exactly the case in Alzheimer's Disease.
As you may already know, especially if you have been keeping up with this series, Alzheimer's is a disease marked by the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain that can cause memory loss. These misfolded plaques can do much more damage, however, and can begin to affect multiple areas of the brain at once after they have begun to accumulate.
Memory and behavior may be the first noticeable changes in a patient with the disease, but as the disease moves to the later stages, dyspraxia is sure to follow. Dyspraxia is a fancy medical term used to describe an inability to control your muscles. Movements that were once considered to be quite easy to become increasingly difficult by the time the disease reaches the later stages. It can be quite burdensome for a patient with this severe limitation to be able to even perform simple gestures like combing their hair or dressing. It is as if they had forgotten how to control their arms and their legs sadly.
A detailed medical explanation can shed light on the reason why these muscular symptoms occur, but that can be quite difficult for even physicians to digest. The important point for you to remember is that there is a certain pathway called the corticobasal tract that is responsible for muscle coordination and movement. This pathway begins to deteriorate as Alzheimer's worsens, and that is what prevents a patient from being able to control their movements easily and leaves them with rather stiff muscles. These changes are irreversible as well, so as the pathway continues to become more and more damaged, it will be more and more difficult for patients with Alzheimer's to perform tasks independently like they once did.
Treatment options for muscle stiffness in patients with Alzheimer's Disease
Unfortunately, due to the underlying nature of the disease, treatment options for the benefit of patients with Alzheimer's or other movement disorders can be considered to be short-lived and only bring temporary relief.
Nevertheless, there are some therapies worth trying to improve the quality of life in patients who are suffering from stiff muscles as a result of Alzheimer's. One of the first therapies that can be tried would be levodopa. This is a medication that is typically reserved for patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease but they, too, have muscle rigidity and stiffness. This medication is considered to be a synthetic form of dopamine. In Alzheimer's, the pathway that causes the muscle stiffness is not exactly the same as in Parkinson's Disease, so the therapy will not be as noticeably effective. Patients may benefit from a trial dose of this medication and some may even notice improvement in their movements and coordination.
Another type of drug that will benefit patients suffering from muscle stiffness would be donepezil. This is a type of medication used in patients with earlier-stage Alzheimer's to help with memory decline. This is a type of drug that can increase the concentration of acetylcholine (ACh) in the brain. This increased concentration can benefit nerves because more signals travel throughout the brain as more of it is available. Memory is where this may have the most substantial impact, but patients can also improve their muscle movements as a secondary benefit from this drug.
Another possible avenue that patients suffering from Alzheimer's Disease can benefit from would be to walk as much as possible to combat stiffening muscles. Muscles can become more flexible and ache less when steady blood flow is able to perfuse them. In a perfect world, patients with Alzheimer's would be able to maneuver multiple times a day but in reality, this can be quite a burden for not only patients but also family members tasked with assisting them.
Patients with Alzheimer's are naturally less stable due to a deterioration of their balance and coordination system in the brain. This makes them more susceptible to stumbles and falls and can discourage anyone from walking. Without this mobility, however, muscles will begin to deteriorate due to a lack of use. The longer this immobility persists, the more likely these muscles will become stiffer and stiffer. Walking with some type of walking aid or in swimming pools can reduce the risk of unexpected falls. There are also some exercises that patients can benefit from in order to improve their circulation. Simple leg raises or bicycles can be done in bed and virtually eliminate the odds of an unexpected fall.
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