dystonia

American  

[dis-toh-nee-uh] / dɪsˈtoʊ ni ə /

noun

Pathology.

1. abnormal tone of any tissue.

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dystonia British  

/ dɪsˈtəʊnɪə /

noun

1. a neurological disorder, caused by disease of the basal ganglia, in which the muscles of the trunk, shoulders, and neck go into spasm, so that the head and limbs are held in unnatural positions

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Other Word Forms

• dystonic
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of dystonia

dys- + -tonia

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dystonia

Dysport is a muscle relaxant that Ipsen markets for therapeutic indications such as a neck ailment called cervical dystonia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

By analyzing 2,811 people with ataxia, hereditary spastic paraplegia, and dystonia, scientists identified harmful variants in a gene called CD99L2 as the cause of X-linked spastic ataxia.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 13, 2026

For some reason, dystonia often occurs to the body part that a person uses most frequently in their profession.

From Slate ● Apr. 18, 2026

It’s happened often enough that scientists at the Mayo Clinic have a more formal definition for it—involuntary wrist spasms that can stem from a neurological condition called focal dystonia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2025

DBS is a surgical treatment for people with severe movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and dystonia.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2024

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