contracture

American  

[kuhn-trak-cher] / kənˈtræk tʃər /

noun

Pathology.

1. a shortening or distortion of muscular or connective tissue due to spasm, scar, or paralysis of the antagonist of the contracting muscle.

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contracture British  

/ kənˈtræktʃə /

noun

1. a disorder in which a skeletal muscle is permanently tightened (contracted), most often caused by spasm or paralysis of the antagonist muscle that maintains normal muscle tension

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Other Word Forms

• contractured adjective

Etymology

Origin of contracture

1650–60; < Latin contractūra, equivalent to contract ( us ) drawn together (past participle of contrahere; contract ) + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

Mustaine saw a specialist and was diagnosed with Dupuytren’s contracture, a progressive condition that affects about 8% of the world’s population, according to National Institutes of Health statistics.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

The condition, called Dupuytren's contracture, is a genetic disorder that causes a person's fingers to bend towards their palm.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2024

How on earth did obscure medical conditions like Dupuytren’s contracture get into the books?

From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2021

The FDA originally approved Xiaflex in 2010 to treat Dupuytren’s contracture, a disease that prevents patients from fully extending their fingers.

From Washington Post • Dec. 6, 2013

This pain was followed by spastic contracture, first of the ulnar fingers and later of the wrist and elbow, which could only be straightened by the application of considerable force.

From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by Makins, George Henry