By: Priyal Sakhuja
Think about the popular childhood game that many of us have played- freeze tag. What happens when someone tags you as you try to run away? You freeze. You train your body to stiffen and you prevent any muscle movement. Well, imagine playing this game unexpectedly. That would be a tonic seizure.
As mentioned before with atonic seizures, muscles lose their strength or normal tension at rest. However, tonic seizures experience the opposite- muscle tone is increased. This results in stiffening movements of the body, arms, or legs. The rigidness that occurs throughout the body would cause a person who is standing to fall once the seizure starts (Epilepsy Foundation).
During a tonic seizure, the person’s muscles stiffen and the eyes roll back into their head while the muscles in the chest contrast. Since chest muscles tighten, it becomes harder for the person to breathe, resulting in the lips and face to turn a bluish color. The person may also start to make gargling noises. A common misconception is that the person might “swallow their tongue,” and thus, many people try to put something in the seizing person’s mouth. However, contrary to this belief, it is actually quite impossible to swallow your tongue and attempting to open a clenched jaw could cause more harm than good (Johns Hopkins Medicine).
Although tonic seizures can occur in anyone, they are common in people with the epilepsy syndrome called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. This syndrome is a type of epilepsy with different types of seizures, mainly including tonic and atonic seizure types. Tonic seizures in patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome could be more difficult to control over time, although there is a good outcome for some patients (Epilepsy Foundation).
Children with neurological impairments sometimes move in ways that could be mistaken for tonic seizures. Therefore, the EEG results could clarify any confusion one may have. Providing a strong emotional and physical support system is essential and crucial in making this game of freeze tag a little less scary.
Sources:
1. http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure_tonic.
2.http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/specialty_areas/epilepsy/seizures/types/tonic-and-clonic-seizures.html
Reviewed by Dr. Miller-Horn