Seizures are involuntary muscle contractions, accompanied by sharp or aching pain. They can arise as a result of the action of various factors, against the background of infectious, neurological, endocrine and other pathologies. By the nature of muscle contractions, there are tonic and clonic seizures, the differences and features of which are discussed below.
Tonic convulsions
Tonic convulsions are an intense muscle tension that occurs slowly and is held for a long time. This phenomenon indicates an excessive excitation of subcortical structures of the brain. Most often, tonic cramps appear in the muscles of the legs, arising during sleep, physical activity, swimming. Also, they can affect the muscles of the face, neck, hands, rarely - the airways.
Clonic convulsions
With clonic convulsions, the causes of which lie in the excitation of the cerebral cortex, there are synchronous muscle contractions, which alternate with short periods of relaxation. If they affect the peripheral muscles of the trunk, then, as a rule, the contractions are irregular. Clonic convulsions in epileptic seizures are characterized by rhythm and involvement of the muscles of the half of the body or several groups of muscles. In some cases, an epileptic seizure begins with tonic convulsions, replaced by clonic seizures, and may be preceded by an aura having various manifestations.
Generalized clonic convulsions are called convulsions, they are often accompanied by aura, loss of consciousness , bite of the tongue, involuntary emptying of the intestine and bladder. After an attack, the after-convulsive phase occurs, lasting sometimes up to several hours, during which there is confusion, disorientation.