💧 High-pressure solution 💪 Tense muscles

hypertonic

8.9

Muscle or tissue that is too tight and makes movement difficult

adjective
/ˌhaɪpərˈtɒnɪk/

Specialized

: hipertónico

Patients with hypertonic muscle tissue often experience stiffness and limited mobility.

Examples

The therapist noted a hypertonic response in the patient's arm during the examination.
The doctor diagnosed her with hypertonic muscles.
Certain neurological disorders can result in hypertonic muscles, making movement difficult.
He suffers from a hypertonic condition that affects his mobility.
The doctor diagnosed him with a condition characterized by hypertonic muscles, making movement difficult.
In patients with hypertonic disorders, the muscles may be stiff and resistant to stretching.
Therapists often focus on reducing hypertonic areas during rehabilitation to improve mobility and comfort.

Synonyms

hypertense

vshypertonic

8.3

Very tight because it is under strong strain, for example in muscles

is used in medicine for abnormally high muscle tone in living tissue

Antonyms

hypotonic

Specialized

8.8

Muscles or body tissue that are less firm than normal and feel limp

Compounds

hypertonic solution

Specialized

6.1

A liquid with more salt or sugar than a cell that draws water out and makes the cell shrink

How Tense

rigid

35 4.0

hypertonic

Specialized

8.9

normal

∞ 1.0

hypotonic

Specialized

8.8

Surface Forms

hypertonic positive

Morphology

hypertonic = tonic (semi-transparent) = hyper + tonic

The form is clearly hyper- + tonic, but the sense 'abnormally high muscle tone' is a specialized technical meaning rather than one most learners can infer immediately.

Etymology

Hypertonic comes from the Greek parts hyper- 'over' and tonic from tonos 'tension', the same root as the English word tone. So hypertonic tissue means 'too much tension' in the muscles or tissues, which is why they feel stiff or tight.