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spastic

spastic

8 8.6
Having stiff or uncontrolled muscles because of a nerve problem
  • adjective
  • /ˈspæstɪk/
  • Specialized
: espástico
  • I have cerebral palsy, and in my case, it's called spastic triplegia.
  • spastic versus flaccid
  • spastic and ataxic
  • spastic cerebral

Or it can be in a pattern that is not in rhythm and spastic and out of control.

Examples

  • Affected individuals could exhibit both spastic and flaccid changes in tongue muscles.

    Academic text (2012)
  • He was diagnosed with spastic diplegia, which affects his ability to walk without assistance.

  • I told work that my mom had a spastic colon.

  • My own hand was too spastic for me to be able to fasten it down.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Since the present study included only ambulant children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, our study population was relatively homogeneous.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Children with spastic cerebral palsy often experience difficulties with movement and coordination.

  • The therapist focused on exercises to help manage the spastic muscles in his legs.

Synonyms

convulsive
vsspastic
  • Specialized
2 7.7

Sudden, violent body movements that you cannot control

is less extreme and includes milder stiffness and involuntary movement
spasmodic
vsspastic
2 8.1

Happening suddenly in short, irregular bursts or movements

is broader and includes stiffness and longer involuntary movement
myoclonic
vsspastic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Showing sudden muscle jerks that happen without control

is broader and also covers stiffness and ongoing involuntary activity
dystonic
vsspastic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Involving muscle contractions that make the body move or stay in strange positions

is broader and includes general stiffness and varied involuntary movement
spasmic
vsspastic
1 7.9

Happening in sudden short uncontrolled movements or bursts

is broader and includes stiffness as well as bursts
dyskinetic
vsspastic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Uncontrolled muscle movements that you cannot make on purpose

is more about spasms and stiffness from medical conditions
hyperkinetic
vsspastic
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Showing quick body movements that a person cannot control, often seen in some illnesses

is focused on muscle spasms, stiffness, and involuntary contractions

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Usual or expected in most situations

32 3.9

Not changed or harmed by something and not showing strong feeling

Compounds

spastic colon
  • Archaic
2 5.8

A gut condition that causes belly pain and alternating diarrhea and constipation and is often worse with stress

spastic paralysis
  • Specialized
1 7.6

Weak muscles and stiffness with sudden muscle jerks caused by brain damage at birth

An uncontrolled sudden jerky movement of a hand or body

spastic abasia
  • Specialized
9.9

A problem that makes a person unable to walk because leg muscles are too tight

spastic bladder
  • Specialized
8.2

A bladder that squeezes too often, causing loss of control and stopping and starting of urine

How Spastic

spastic
  • Specialized
8 8.6
spasmodic
2 8.1
rigid
37 4.0
stiff
134 1.7

Surface Forms

spastic positive

Morphology

spastic = spasm (transparent) = spasm + tic

The adjective 'spastic' is transparently derived from 'spasm', indicating a relation to muscle spasms.

Etymology

Spastic comes from an old Greek word spazō meaning 'to pull', and it shares the same root as spasm, a sudden tightening of a muscle. So in medicine spastic describes muscles that tighten or move without control.