I Don’t Like Your Tone

JUST KIDDING! It’s not that I don’t like YOUR tone.

However, lots of people are confused by the word “tone” when they hear it from their doctor.

“What is tone?” Muscle tone is the tension in a muscle at rest. This means, what a resting muscle is doing when it is not supposed to be doing anything.

“Is it the same as strength?” No. Muscle strength is the ability to contract and create force in response to resistance. So muscle strength comes into play when we’re taking an action.

Feel like you’re in Physics 101 yet? Why do we need to know this, crazy lady!?!

Everyone has different types of tone and there is a spectrum of types of tone people can have. Some people are right in the middle and have what would be considered average tone. 

Some people have “higher tone.” These are the people who live in tighter bodies, possible unable to touch their toes and who yoga sounds like torture for. Some people with neurological issues may have an extreme of this called “hypertonicity” which occurs with diagnoses such as Cerebral Palsy, Brain Injury or Stroke. 

Some clinical presentations for high tone might include back/ knee pain, toe walking, gait dysfunction or issues with functional activities due to range of motion limitations. 

Some people have “lower tone.” This means, their muscles at rest aren’t as tense and they tend to be more loose or floppy. A lot of times low tone and joint hypermobility go hand in hand, but not always. Some diagnoses are associated with low tone, such as autism, epilepsy or chromosomal abnormalities. 

Some clinical presentations for low tone might include joint pain, abnormal postures, foot slap with walking, frequent joint sprains/ strains, and decreased endurance/ easily fatigued. 

Where do you think your tone measures up?