You searched for:
“spasm”
spasm (s), spasms (pl)
1. A sudden, violent, involuntary contraction of a muscle or a group of muscles, attended by pain and interference with function, producing involuntary movement and distortion.
2. A sudden but transitory constriction of a bodily passage, canal, or orifice.
4. Sudden burst of activity: a sudden brief emotion, sensation, or action.
2. A sudden but transitory constriction of a bodily passage, canal, or orifice.
- A muscle spasm can be quite painful, with the muscle clenching tightly. A spasm of the coronary artery can cause angina.
- Spasms in various types of tissue may be caused by stress, medication, over-exercise, or other factors.
4. Sudden burst of activity: a sudden brief emotion, sensation, or action.
This entry is located in the following unit:
spasmo-, spasm-, spas- +
(page 3)
A unit related to:
“spasm”
(Greek: dance; involuntary movements; spasm; in medicine, it is used to reveal a nervous disorder either of organic origin or from an infection)
(Greek > Medical Latin: muscle spasm; to move violently; turmoil)
(Greek > Latin: draw, tear, rend, pull; tension, convulsion; sudden, involuntary contractions)
(Greek: tension, especially a convulsive tension; muscle spasm or tetanus, an infectious disease characterized by muscle spasms)
Word Entries containing the term:
“spasm”
A muscle spasm, or muscular contraction, that causes a recently dead body to twitch or jerk: The new police recruit was startled by the cadaveric spasm he observed during the routine police investigation at the death scene."
This entry is located in the following unit:
cad-, cas-, cid-
(page 1)
carpopedal spasm
Spasms of the hands or feet that may be seen in association with hypocalcaemia or hyperventilation.
Hypocalcaemia is abnormally low calcium concentration, which can result in muscle cramps, abdominal cramps, spasms, and hyperactive deep tendon reflexes.
Hyperventilation refers to the depth and rate of breathing which is greater than that required by the needs of the body. Such a condition can cause dizziness and tingling of the fingers and toes.
This entry is located in the following units:
ped-, pedi-, -pedal, -ped, -pede, -pedia
(page 1)
spasmo-, spasm-, spas- +
(page 1)
A disorder of the facial nerve, causing involuntary spasmodic contractions of the facial muscles supplied by that nerve.
This entry is located in the following unit:
vuls-, vell-
(page 2)
cynic spasm, risus sardonicus
Spasm of the facial muscles causing a grin or snarl like a dog.
This entry is located in the following unit:
cyno-, cyn-, kyno-, kyn-
(page 1)
phonic spasm
a spasm of the laryngeal muscles occurring when attempting to speak, usually a component of a conversion reaction, but also seen in professional singers and speakers due to faulty voice production.
This entry is located in the following units:
phon-, phono-, -phone, -phonia, -phonic, -phonetic, -phonous, -phonically, -phonetically, -phony +
(page 12)
spasmo-, spasm-, spas- +
(page 2)
salaam spasm
Nodding spasm.
In infants, a drop of the head on the chest because of a loss of tone in the neck muscles as in epilepsia nutans, or to tonic spasm of anterior neck muscles as in west's syndrome
In adults, a nodding of the head from clonic spasm's of the sternomastoid muscles. Clonic spasms are movements marked by contractions and relaxations of a muscle, occurring in rapid succession.
This entry is located in the following unit:
spasmo-, spasm-, spas- +
(page 3)
A sudden, violent, involuntary contraction or a jerky affection of the muscles of the lower extremities; such as the legs: Saltatory spasms cause patients' leg muscles to twitch or to jerk and are also known as tics.
This entry is located in the following units:
sali-, salt-, -sili-, sult-, -salta-
(page 4)
spasmo-, spasm-, spas- +
(page 3)
tonic spasm
A continuous involuntary muscular contraction.
This entry is located in the following unit:
spasmo-, spasm-, spas- +
(page 4)