Segments and segmental symptoms

An increased often nociceptive, activity in one part of a segment can affect all the other parts of the same segment, resulting in segmental symptoms like:
-referred pain
-hyperalgesia
-hypertonic muscles
-activated myofacial trigger points

Autonomic symptoms such as vasomotor and trophic changes also result.

Segmental symptoms can occur in any part of a disturbed segment including dermatome, myotome, sclerotome, or viscerotome.

The extent to which these segmental symptoms occur is dependent on:
· duration and severity of the existing pathology
· the amount of central inhibition
· the state of general arousal
· the existence of other pathology in the same segment.

Types of Segmental Symptoms:
1) pain and hyperalgesia -via the sensory posterior horn and the ascending tracts
2) hypertonic muscles -via the motor anterior horn
3) autonomic symptoms -via the autonomic lateral horn

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