Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Abnormal tonicity of muscle, characterized by prolonged, repetitive muscle contractions that may cause twisting or jerking movements of the body or a body part.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun medicine A disabling neurological disorder in which prolonged and repetitive contractions of muscles cause jerking, twisting movements and abnormal postures of the body

Etymologies

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Examples

  • He was struck by a syndrome called dystonia, in which the brain loses the ability to control muscles, resulting in them spasming.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011

  • The Food and Drug Administration has approved deep-brain stimulation to treat Parkinson's and a movement disorder known as dystonia, and it is used to treat chronic pain and severe depression.

    Memory Gets Jolt in Brain Research Shirley S. Wang 2012

  • It reported that a Washington Redskins cheerleader, Desiree Jennings, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called dystonia alleged to be caused by a severe reaction to the seasonal flu shot.

    Video of flu shot cheerleader is misleading 2009

  • The condition is called dystonia, and affects nearly every aspect of her daily life by prompting frequent seizures.

    Jim Carrey Jenny McCarthy Commitment Ceremony 2009

  •  It reported that a Washington Redskins cheerleader, Desiree Jennings, was diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called dystonia alleged to be caused by a severe reaction to the seasonal flu shot.

    Video of flu shot cheerleader is misleading 2009

  • • A condition known as dystonia, which produces involuntary, and often painful muscle spasms, was the most common side effect with 103 cases.

    Kids Dying From Off-Label Use Of Antipsychotics 2006

  • It was a freak accident, and as a result, the trauma that I had created focal dystonia, which is involuntary movement of muscles.

    CNN Transcript Apr 3, 2004 2004

  • Day has a rare condition called dystonia that caused her left leg to stay bent up toward her chest, forcing her to stand on one leg the way a flamingo does.

    ABC News: Top Stories 2011

  • Desiree Jennings, an ambassador for the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad, claimed she developed a rare neurological disorder called dystonia after receiving a seasonal flu shot, causing dramatic spasms and slurred speech.

    Blue Mass. Group - Front Page JohnD 2010

  • Desiree Jennings, an ambassador for the Washington Redskins cheerleading squad, claimed she developed a rare neurological disorder called dystonia after receiving a seasonal flu shot, causing dramatic spasms and slurred speech.

    Blue Mass. Group - Front Page JohnD 2010

  • The term ‘dystonia’ is rooted in the Latin prefix dys, or difficulty, and tonus, meaning tone or tension.

    Dystonia plagues musicians and has no easy remedies | Aeon Essays 2023

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