[Functional status of cervical segments of the spinal cord in patients with local muscle hypertonia].

The reflex response of shoulder girdle muscles to stimulation of the ulnar nerve was registered with the use of needle electrodes. The M- and F-responses of the hand muscles were registered simultaneously. The reflex response had a polysynaptic character, and was not constant in the form, amplitude, and latent period. In healthy subjects the polysynaptic response is registered more often in humerus adductors. In the presence of local painful hypertonicity of the muscles the reflex response was registered in all cases. The intensity of the pain syndrome was inversely proportional to the duration of the latent period. The method described can be used for objective assessment of the time course of the pain syndrome and for forecasting the formation of reflex syndromes of cervical osteochondrosis.