Question | Answer |
atony | Lack of normal tone or strength. |
atopy | genetic predisposition towards hypersensitivity to common environmental antigens. |
atrophy | The wasting away or weakening of muscle fibers due to a lack of usage. |
bursitis | Inflammation of a bursa. |
bursa | A sac-like cavity filled with synovial fluid, located where tendons/muscles pass over bony prominences. |
charley horse | A bruised or torn muscle accompanied by cramps and severe pain. |
cramp | A sustained spasm or contraction of a muscle accompanied by severe, localized pain. |
dystonia | Sustained abnormal postures or disruptions of normal movement resulting from alterations of muscle tone. |
Dupuytren's contracture | Painless thickening and contracture of the palmar fascia due to fibrous proliferation, resulting in loss of function of the fingers. |
fasciculations | Similar to fibrillations or tremors. A repetitive, involuntary contraction of muscle. The main cause is nerve damage. |
fibromyalgia | (Also called myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyositis.) |
myofascial pain syndrome | A chronic condition affecting the fascia, or connective tissue covering muscles. It may involve a single muscle or muscle group. |
fibromyositis | The chronic inflammation of a muscle with hyperplasia (overgrowth) of connective tissue. |
ganglion | A thin-walled band cyst formed on a joint capsule or tendon sheath. |
leiomyoma | A benign tumor of smooth muscle tissue, e.g., the uterus. |
muscular dystrophy | A genetic abnormality of muscle tissue characterized by dysfunction and ultimately deterioration. |
myalgia | Muscle pain. |
myasthenia gravis | A chronic progressive neuromuscular weakness, usually starting with the muscles of the face and throat. |
myopathy | Any disease of the muscles. |
myositis ossificans | A disease characterized by bony deposits or the ossification of muscle tissue. |
paralysis | The loss of nervous control of a muscle. |
paraplegia | Paralysis of the legs (lower extremities). |
quadriplegia | Paralysis of all four limbs. |
plantar fasciitis | Excessive pulling or stretching of the calcaneal periosteum by the plantar fascia. |
Fasciitis | inflammation of the fascia. |
polymyositis | An autoimmune disorder which causes atrophy and weakness of the muscles. |
rigor mortis | Rigor means chilled, stiffness, rigidity. Rigor mortis is the muscular hardness occurring four to seven hours after death. |
tendinitis | Inflammation of a tendon or the synovial lining of a tendon sheath due to trauma or repetitive wear. |
tenosynovitis | The inflammation of the tendon and the tendon sheath. |
tennis elbow | A strain of the lateral forearm muscles or the tendinous attachments near their origin on the epicondyle of the humerus. |
lateral and medial epicondylitis | Also referred to as tennis elbow, a condition characterized by weakness and pain in the muscles and tendons of the outside elbow. |
tetanus | A disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. Jaw muscles are affected first. Lockjaw is the more common name. |
torticollis | Contraction of sternocleidomastoid muscle, causing rotation of the head. |