myotonia

[mahy-uh-toh-nee-uh]

noun

Pathology.

1. tonic muscle spasm or muscular rigidity.

myotonia

/ ˌmaɪəˈtɒnɪk, ˌmaɪəˈtəʊnɪə /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• myotonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of myotonia¹

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.

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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.

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

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

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