myotonia

American  

[mahy-uh-toh-nee-uh] / ˌmaɪ əˈtoʊ ni ə /

noun

Pathology.

1. tonic muscle spasm or muscular rigidity.

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myotonia British  

/ ˌmaɪəˈtɒnɪk, ˌmaɪəˈtəʊnɪə /

noun

1. Also called: amyotonia.  lack of muscle tone, frequently including muscle spasm or rigidity

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Other Word Forms

• myotonic adjective

Etymology

Origin of myotonia

First recorded in 1895–1900; myo- + -tonia

Example Sentences

These mice exhibited severe myotonia, muscle weakness, impaired mobility, respiratory defects, and a marked reduction in lifespan.

From Science Daily

Myotonic goats, a common domestic goat in the U.S., have a genetic condition called myotonia congenital that causes their muscles to stiffen when they’re frightened.

From National Geographic

Examples include uses of the drug mexiletine to treat the rare muscle disease non-dystrophic myotonia, and experimental treatments for the Ebola virus.

From Nature

He had been labeled with a number of interesting diagnoses, such as chorea, epilepsy, myotonia, hysteria, and neurasthenia.

From Project Gutenberg