hypertonia Med.
(haɪpəˈtəʊnɪə)
Also in anglicized form hypertony (haɪˈpɜːtənɪ) (rare).
[mod.L., f. hyper- 5 + Gr. τόν-ος tone n. + -ia1.]
The condition (in muscle or muscular tissue) of being hypertonic.
| 1842 Dunglison Dict. Med. Sci. (ed. 3) 368/1 Hypertonia. 1881 J. Ross Treat. Dis. Nervous Syst. I. i. v. 178 The condition of motor excess, or of increased tonus, may be called hypertony. 1905 Med.-Chir. Trans. LXXXVIII. 212 The arterial hypertonia is to be regarded as a result of the greater strain thrown on the circulatory mechanism. 1914 A. Morison Sensory & Motor Disorders Heart v. 203 Exaggerated tonic cardiac action tends to be succeeded by..a minus quantity. Hypertonia necessarily yields to hypotonia. 1933 W. R. Brain Dis. Nervous Syst. i. 8 Not all muscle-groups exhibit hypertonia in equal degree in hemiplegia. 1962 Lancet 27 Jan. 222/1 She was re-examined..and found to have variable and bizarre hypertonia of the jaw, tongue, and neck muscles. |