| Abstrakt: |
Interest in myotonia dates from Thomsen's1 description of the disorder as it occurred in himself and many members of his family. In 1886 Erb2 crystallized knowledge of myotonia in a monograph describing the behavior of the myotonic muscle following voluntary contraction and following mechanical and electrical stimulation. Little has been added to Erb's complete description of the reaction of the myotonic muscle to electrical stimulation (usually referred to as "electrical myotonia"). The response of the myotonic muscle to mechanical stimulation ("mechanical myotonia") has not yet been thoroughly investigated. As a result mainly of ergographic and kymographic studies, knowledge of the characteristics of myotonia associated with voluntary contractions ("voluntary or active myotonia") has greatly increased since Erb's time. Through the years, also, the effects of many drugs on voluntary myotonia have been studied.In Thomsen's disease, or myotonia congenita, the myotonia is associated with muscle hypertrophy. After Thomsen's report, |
