Contractures are painful, disfiguring deformities of the joints. Muscles shorten when a person endures long periods of immobility. Infrequent use causes the muscles to become rigid or fixed. Joints do not move as freely or smoothly as they once did. Movement is painful when the joint is moved because the shortened muscles are being stretched beyond their ability.

As contractures progress, a person loses all voluntary movement in the contracted joint. Bathing, dressing, and daily care become more difficult. It is harder to position a resident properly because the contracture creates pressure points that may lead to pressure sores.

Contractures progress through four stages based on severity. A Stage I contracture can develop in as few as four days. Stage II contractures develop after an additional week or two. Unfortunately, most contractures are not identified until they are at Stage III. Stage III contractures need many as 500 days (a year and a half) to work themselves out. By Stage IV, a resident's muscles and joints are so stiff that the resident is folded into the fetal position.

Joint movement is affected by age, body size, genetics, and the presence or absence of disease. The normal movement of the joints is called range of motion. Healthy people do range-of-motion movements many times each day during normal activities. Residents in long term care facilities may not move each joint through its normal range each day. The muscles atrophy and eventually shrink.

To avoid contractures nursing home staff members must exercise an immobile resident's joints to prevent deformities. The staff should be trained to perform exercises on residents with various physical and mental conditions. Active range-of-motion exercises are done independently by residents each day. Those with limited mental ability may need reminders. Some may need to use stronger muscles and joints to exercise weaker ones. That's O.K., as long as the exercises get done.

Like pressure sores, contractures are much easier to prevent than to reverse. Contractures are prevented by maintaining a resident's range of motion. Range-of-motion exercises can be conducted without a physician's order unless the resident has osteoporosis, severe arthritis or other joint or bone-related illnesses.

Range-of-motion exercises prevent contractures and atrophy, they stimulate circulation (thereby reducing the risk of blood clots), and they improve the resident's general sense of well-being.

If a loved is in a nursing home and you feel that have been abused or neglected, please contact The Rasansky Law Firm immediately to discuss your legal rights and options regarding your loved one in a nursing home.

For more information about Nursing Home Claims, you can also visit www.nursinghomelawyer.com, a Rasansky Law Firm speciality site devoted exclusively to Nursing Home Claims, Nursing Home Abuse, Nursing Home Neglect, and Nursing Home Rights.

Signs that a Loved One In A Nursing Home could be in trouble include Behavioral Problems, Changes In Physical Conditions, Dehydration, and Immobility to name a few.