Library / English Dictionary

MUSCLE SPASM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A painful and involuntary muscular contraction

Synonyms:

cramp; muscle spasm; spasm

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("muscle spasm" is a kind of...):

symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "muscle spasm"):

charley-horse; charley horse (a muscular cramp (especially in the thigh or calf) following vigorous exercise)

graphospasm; writer's cramp (muscular spasms of thumb and forefinger while writing with a pen or pencil)

blepharospasm (spasm of the eyelid muscle resulting in closure of the eye)

crick; kink; rick; wrick (a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back ('rick' and 'wrick' are British))

myoclonus (a clonic spasm of a muscle or muscle group)

opisthotonos (severe spasm in which the back arches and the head bends back and heels flex toward the back)

twitch; twitching; vellication (a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition)

tenesmus (painful spasm of the anal sphincter along with an urgent desire to defecate without the significant production of feces; associated with irritable bowel syndrome)

trismus (prolonged spasm of the jaw muscles)

Credits

 Context examples: 

These findings suggest that pelvic floor muscle spasm may be experienced by women with endometriosis and contribute to pain persisting after standard treatment.

(Scientists identify spasm in women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain, National Institutes of Health)

Symptoms include muscle spasms and cramps in the abdomen.

(Diverticulitis, NCI Dictionary)

Doctors use medicines, Botox injections, surgery, physical therapy, and other treatments to reduce or eliminate muscle spasms and pain.

(Dystonia, NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

A muscle relaxant preparation is used to prevent muscle spasms by inhibiting muscle contractions and to relief pain associated with the spasms.

(Muscle Relaxant Preparation, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes B2 bradykinin receptor protein, plays a role in the initiation of several different biological responses including, vasodilation, edema, smooth muscle spasm and pain fiber stimulation.

(BDKRB2 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

A synthetic propanediol dicarbamate derivative and an adjunct in the treatment of painful muscle spasms, Carisoprodol is a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant that relieves stiffness, pain, and discomfort caused by muscle injuries.

(Carisoprodol, NCI Thesaurus)

The antagonistic action of this agent blocks the activities of endogenous histamine, thereby preventing histamine-induced bronchoconstriction, vasodilation, increased capillary permeability, and GI smooth muscle spasms.

(Dexchlorpheniramine, NCI Thesaurus)

This prevents histamine-induced bronchoconstriction, vasodilation, increased capillary permeability, and GI smooth muscle spasms.

(Dexchlorpheniramine Maleate, NCI Thesaurus)

Any agent that prevents or relieves muscle spasms, mainly ones originating from smooth muscle contractions of the stomach, bladder and intestines.

(Antispasmodic Agent, NCI Thesaurus)

Signs and symptoms include progressive motor disturbances, muscle spasm and rigidity, dysarthria, mental deterioration, and behavioral changes.

(Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration, NCI Thesaurus)