Lockjaw

Description:

Lockjaw (trismus. Greek trismos peep, a gnash) — data of jaws as a result of a tonic spasm of chewing muscles. It is observed at

Lockjaw symptoms:

More often at a lockjaw bilateral defeat of masseters is noted. At the same time their swelling and consolidation is observed. At hemilesion of alate muscles the mandible is displaced in the party opposite to pathological process, at hemilesion actually of a masseter or a temporal and mandibular joint when opening a mouth the mandible is displaced towards localization of pathological process.

Lockjaw reasons:

It is observed at various pathological processes at which there is a direct or reflex irritation of the third branch of a trifacial, the cortical and nuclear ways participating in an innervation of masseters. A lockjaw — one of the earliest symptoms of tetanus; meets at epilepsy, pseudobulbar paralysis, subarachnoidal hemorrhages, brain tumors less often. It also arises at a number of functional disturbances of a nervous system. Sometimes T. develops at inflammatory processes in the muscles lifting a mandible (a periostitis, phlegmon and abscess of alate and maxillary and peripharyngeal areas, a maxillary and lingual fillet, parotid and chewing area, temporal and infratemporal poles) at arthritis and arthrosis of a temporal and mandibular joint, and also at osteomyelitis of jaws or an injury of this area. In these cases the mechanism of its emergence is connected with the pain causing reflex reduction of masseters. Sometimes the lockjaw appears at mandibular anesthesia owing to development of a hematoma in a medial alate muscle.

Treatment of the Lockjaw:

Treatment is directed to elimination of the reason of a lockjaw.