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What does the word spasm mean?

• The Greeks gave this name to all kinds of convulsions. It is now usually applied to involuntary muscular contractions; and these, again, have been divided into tonic spasm, Paraton'ia, which consists in permanent rigidity and immobility of the muscles that are the seat of it( see Tetanus); and clonic spasm, which consists in alternate contractions and relaxations( see Convulsion). Cullen has a class, Spasmi-the neurospasmi of Fuchs.

• [ Greek] A violent involuntary contraction of a muscle, producing a rigidity of the latter which is either succeeded immediately by relaxation( Clonic s.) or which remains apparently unchanged for an appreciable time( Tetanic s., tetanus). Hence, generically, any involuntary and rigid contraction caused by violent muscular contraction; especially, a constriction of an orifice, canal, or hollow organ so caused; as S. of the glottis, S. of the urethra. The term s. is applied to contraction both of the voluntary and involuntary muscles, while convulsion denotes a contraction of the voluntary muscles producing visible movements, and particularly one in which a number of muscles are involved and the movements are more or less complicated. Convulsion, too, has reference rather to the patient, s. to the part affected. Thus we speak of a man having a convulsion marked by s. of all the muscles. The symptoms of s. are chiefly pain and interference with function, producing in s. of the voluntary muscles involuntary movement and distortion; in s. of the aesophagus, dysphagia; in s. of the glottis or the respiratory muscles( Respiratory s.), embarrassment of breathing; in s. of the diaphragm, hiccough; in s. of the prostatic urethra, retention of urine; in s. of the bladder, incontinence of urine; in s. of the hollow abdominal viscera, the various forms of colic; in s. of the sphincter ani, rectal tenesmus; in s. of the ciliary muscle( S. of accommodation), excess of accommodative action and apparent myopia; in s. of the vessles, anaemia, with consequent failure of function or even gangrene of the parts supplied by them. S. is denoted according to the part affected; according to its cause, as Hysterical s., Toxic s., or the site of the causal lesion, as Cerebral s., Spinal s., Myopathic s., etc. For special varieties of s. see Cramp, Eclampsia, Epilepsy, Chorea, Tetanus, Tic, Torticollis. etc., and for specially-named varieties, as Habit s., Saltatory s., Mimic( or Histrionic) s., etc., see these words.

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