Dictionary:

spasm

  (spăz'əm)

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1. A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles.
2. A sudden burst of energy, activity, or emotion.

[Middle English spasme, from Old French, from Latin spasmus, from Greek spasmos, from spān, to pull.]

A sudden involuntary muscle twitch ranging in severity from the mildly irritating to the very painful. A spasm may be due to a chemical imbalance in muscles; massaging the area often helps to end the spasm.

noun

A violent, excruciating seizure of pain: cramp¹, paroxysm, shoot, throe. See pain/pleasure.

A sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or muscle group. It may cause a twitch or close a canal or passage, depending on its location.

A sudden, involuntary muscle twitch ranging in severity from merely irritating to very painful. A spasm may be due to chemical imbalance. Massaging the area may help to end the spasm.

1. a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles.
2. a sudden but transitory constriction of a passage, canal or orifice. Spasms usually occur when the nerves supplying muscles are irritated, and are commonly accompanied by pain. Occasionally a spasm may occur in a blood vessel, and is then called vasospasm.
Spasms vary from mild twitches to severe seizures and may be the signs of any number of disorders.

• bronchial s. — bronchospasm; spasmodic contraction of the muscular coat of the smaller divisions of the bronchi.
• esophageal s. — occurs mostly in young horses, the cause is unknown and the clinical syndrome is one of esophageal obstruction.
• inherited congenital s.'s — in Jersey calves at birth; lethal within a few weeks; characterized by intermittent, vertical tremor of the head, neck and limbs, making progression and standing impossible; conditioned by a recessive gene.
• muscle mass s. — the basic functional defect in such diseases as Elso heel, inherited periodic spasticity.
• nodding s. — clonic spasm of the sternomastoid muscles, causing a nodding motion of the head.

Name of Symptom/Sign:
Muscle spasm
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10	R25.2
ICD-9	728.85

A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. It is sometimes accompanied by a sudden burst of pain, but is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes. Spasmodic muscle contraction may also be due to a large number of medical conditions, however, including the dystonias.

By extension, a spasm is also a sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion.

Muscle spasms in a patient suffering from tetanus (1809)

A subtype of spasms is colic, an episodic pain due to spasms of smooth muscle in a particular organ (e.g. the bile duct). A characteristic of colic is the sensation of having to move about, and the pain may induce nausea or vomiting if severe. Series of spasms or permanent spasms are called a spasmism.

In very severe cases, the spasm can induce muscular contractions that are more forceful than the sufferer could generate under normal circumstances. This can lead to torn tendons and ligaments.

Some argue that hysterical strength is a type of spasm induced by the brain under extreme circumstances.

See also

• Cramp
• Angina
• Cadaveric spasm
• Myoclonus
• Hypnic jerk
• Blepharospasm
• Muscle contraction

External links

• NIH Medical Encyclopedia
• How Stuff Works
• Helio Health
• Swedish

Symptoms and signs (R00-R69, 780-789)
Circulatory and respiratory systems	Tachycardia - Bradycardia - Palpitation - Heart murmur - Epistaxis - Hemoptysis - Cough - abnormalities of breathing (Dyspnea, Orthopnoea, Stridor, Wheeze, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, Hyperventilation, Mouth breathing, Hiccup, Bradypnea, Hypoventilation) - Chest pain - Asphyxia - Pleurisy - Respiratory arrest - Sputum - Bruit/Carotid bruit - Rales
Digestive system and abdomen	Abdominal pain - Acute abdomen - Nausea - Vomiting - Heartburn - Dysphagia - Flatulence - Burping - Fecal incontinence - Encopresis - Hepatomegaly - Splenomegaly - Hepatosplenomegaly - Jaundice - Ascites - Fecal occult blood - Halitosis
Skin and subcutaneous tissue	disturbances of skin sensation (Hypoesthesia, Paresthesia, Hyperesthesia) - Rash - Cyanosis - Pallor - Flushing - Petechia - Desquamation - Induration - Diaphoresis
Nervous and musculoskeletal systems	abnormal involuntary movements (Tremor, Spasm, Fasciculation, Athetosis) - Gait abnormality - lack of coordination (Ataxia, Dysmetria, Dysdiadochokinesia, Hypotonia) - Tetany - Meningism - Hyperreflexia
Urinary system	Dysuria - Vesical tenesmus - Urinary incontinence - Urinary retention - Oliguria - Polyuria - Nocturia
Cognition, perception, emotional state and behaviour	Anxiety - Somnolence - Coma - Amnesia (Anterograde amnesia, Retrograde amnesia) - Dizziness/Vertigo - smell and taste (Anosmia, Ageusia, Parosmia, Parageusia)
Speech and voice	speech disturbances (Dysphasia, Aphasia, Dysarthria) - symbolic dysfunctions (Dyslexia, Alexia, Agnosia, Apraxia, Acalculia, Agraphia) - voice disturbances (Dysphonia, Aphonia)
General symptoms and signs	Fever (Hyperpyrexia) - Headache - Chronic pain - Malaise - Fatigue - Fainting (Vasovagal syncope) - Febrile seizure - Shock (Cardiogenic shock) - Lymphadenopathy - Edema (Peripheral edema, Anasarca) - Hyperhidrosis (Sleep hyperhidrosis) - Delayed milestone - Failure to thrive - food and fluid intake (Anorexia, Polydipsia, Polyphagia) - Cachexia - Xerostomia - Clubbing

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - spasme, krampe

Nederlands (Dutch)
kramp

Français (French)
n. - (Méd) spasme, spasme, accès (de)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Krampf, Anfall

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυσιολ.) σπασμός, σύσπαση, (μτφ.) έξαψη, παροξυσμός

Italiano (Italian)
spasmo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - convulsão (f), espasmo (m)

Русский (Russian)
спазм, приступ, порыв

Español (Spanish)
n. - espasmo, convulsión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - spasm, kramp, ryckning

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
痉挛, 抽搐, 一阵发作

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 痙攣, 抽搐, 一陣發作

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 경련, 발작 , 한 차례

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 痙攣, 発作, 衝動

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نوبه, تقلص عضلي لا أرادي وغير سوي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עווית, התכווצות, התקף, התפרצות‬

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