Muscle spasticity
Muscle Spasticity
Muscle spasticity (pronunciation: /ˈspæs.tɪ.si.ti/) is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness of the muscles and can interfere with normal movement, speech, and gait. Spasticity is usually caused by damage to the portion of the brain or spinal cord that controls voluntary movement.
Etymology
The term "spasticity" comes from the Greek word "spastikos" which means "drawing in" or "tugging". It was first used in the medical context in the 19th century to describe a change in muscular tone as observed in certain neurological conditions.
Related Terms
- Muscle tone: The continuous and passive partial contraction of the muscles.
- Neuron: A nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system.
- Brain: The organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals.
- Spinal cord: A long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column.
- Gait: The pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Muscle spasticity
- Wikipedia's article - Muscle spasticity
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski