clon-, clono-, clonus-
(Greek > Medical Latin: muscle spasm; to move violently; turmoil)
2. A reference to clonus; alternately contracting and relaxing the muscles.
The rate is much slower than a tremor. In upper motor neuron paralysis, sharp flexion of the ankle often produces ankle clonus.
2. A continuous rhythmic reflex tremor initiated by the spinal cord below an area of spinal cord injury, set in motion by reflex testing.
3. Spasmodic alternation of muscular contractions between antagonistic muscle groups caused by a hyperactive stretch reflex from an upper motor neuron lesion.
Usually, sustained pressure, or stretch of one of the muscles, inhibits the reflex.
An extended clarification about clonus
The term clonus is a succession of intermittent muscular relaxations and contractions, usually resulting from a sustained stretching stimulus.
An example is the clonus stimulated in the calf muscle by maintaining sustained upward pressure on the sole of the foot. The condition is often a sign of disease in the brain or spinal cord.
Some grand mal seizures may last for just a few seconds or they can continue for several minutes.
2. Etymology: from French grand mal, "big illness" and is an antonym of another type of epilepsy known as petit mal, "little illness".2. Reiterative utterances of parts of words; reported frequently in Alzheimer disease.
This is an abnormal reflex with alternate contractions and relaxations of the quadriceps muscle (great extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large fleshy mass which covers the front and sides of the femur or thigh bone).
2. Clonic spasms of muscles in response to aural stimuli.
3. The intermittent sound that may be heard when a stethoscope is applied to the skin over a muscle afflicted by myoclonic jerks.
a. Tonic: Producing and restoring the normal tone; characterized by continuous tension.
b. Clonic, clonus: A form of movement marked by contractions and relaxations of a muscle, occurring in rapid succession.
Don't confuse this clon- group with another clon- unit meaning "exact duplicate, replica".