What is muscle hypertonicity?

Muscle hypertonicity refers to abnormally increased muscle tension. It may feel like stiffness, tightness, resistance to movement, or difficulty relaxing a muscle.

肌張力過高是指肌肉維持在異常偏高的緊繃狀態， 常表現為僵硬、難以放鬆、活動時阻力增加。

Why does muscle hypertonicity happen?

Causes vary and may include neurological conditions (such as stroke or brain injury), chronic pain, stress-related muscle guarding, postural overload, or prolonged immobility.

肌張力過高的原因很多，可能與神經系統疾病（如中風、腦損傷）、 慢性疼痛、壓力造成的保護性緊繃、不良姿勢或長期活動不足有關。

What can acupuncture help with?

In appropriate cases, acupuncture may help support relaxation of overly tight muscles, reduce discomfort, and make stretching or rehabilitation exercises easier to tolerate.

在合適的情況下，針灸可能有助於支持肌肉放鬆、減輕不適， 並讓伸展或復健訓練更容易進行。

What acupuncture cannot do

Acupuncture does not repair nerve damage or replace medical rehabilitation. Its role is supportive and should be coordinated with your healthcare team.

針灸無法修復神經損傷，也不能取代醫療或復健治療， 其角色應為支持性，並與醫療團隊共同配合。

Clinical concept of muscle hypertonicity

Muscle hypertonicity encompasses heterogeneous mechanisms, including spasticity from upper motor neuron lesions, dystonia, and non-neurological muscle overactivity related to pain or postural control.

肌張力過高並非單一機轉，可能包括上運動神經元病變造成的痙攣、 肌張力異常（dystonia），以及與疼痛或姿勢控制相關的非神經性肌肉過度活化。

Acupuncture as supportive or adjunctive care

Current evidence does not support acupuncture as a curative treatment for neurological spasticity. However, clinical studies suggest it may modulate muscle tone, pain perception, and neuromuscular excitability in certain populations when combined with rehabilitation.

目前證據不支持針灸作為神經性痙攣的治癒性治療。 然而部分臨床研究顯示，在與復健治療並行的情況下， 針灸可能影響肌張力、疼痛感受與神經肌肉興奮性。

Neuroregulation and autonomic balance

Acupuncture has been explored for its potential role in autonomic nervous system regulation. Changes in heart rate variability (HRV) are sometimes used as indirect indicators, though findings remain condition-dependent and exploratory.

針灸在研究中曾被探討其對自主神經系統調節的可能性， 心率變異度（HRV）常作為間接觀察指標，但結果仍高度依賴疾病類型， 屬探索性發現，需謹慎解讀。

References are provided for educational purposes.

PubMed search: acupuncture AND muscle hypertonicity / spasticity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=acupuncture+spasticity+systematic+review

PubMed search: acupuncture AND autonomic nervous system / HRV
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=acupuncture+heart+rate+variability+review