Meaning & use
spasticity
Last updated
UK/spæˈstɪs.ɪ.ti/
US/spæˈstɪs.ə.t̬i/
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A condition in which certain muscles are continuously tight, making movement stiff and difficult because of damage to the nerves that control them.
Grammar: Uncountable: spasticity in the legs.
Patterns
- spasticity in something
- spasticity of something
Spasticity in her legs made walking tiring.
Doctors prescribed medicine to ease the spasticity.
Stroke can lead to spasticity in the arm.
Common combinations
- muscle spasticity
- Stretching can reduce muscle spasticity.
- treat spasticity
- Therapists treat spasticity with exercises and medication.
- severe spasticity
- He has severe spasticity in his hands.
- spasticity in the legs
- Spasticity in the legs makes stairs hard.
- relieve spasticity
- A warm bath can relieve spasticity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- muscle stiffness
- This is a plain phrase for any stiffness, while spasticity refers to stiffness caused by nerve damage.
- rigidity
- Rigidity is constant stiffness not tied to movement speed, while spasticity increases the faster a muscle is stretched.
- hypertonia
- This is the broader technical term for abnormally high muscle tone, of which spasticity is one type.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: spasticity or spasm?
spasticity vs spasm
A spasm is a brief, sudden contraction, while spasticity is a lasting stiffness.
Practice
Which describes spasticity?
Choose one answer.
Spasticity is persistent tightness due to nerve damage. A brief cramp is a spasm, and floppy muscle is the opposite.
Make it your own
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