A neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that cause repetitive movements or abnormal postures. Dystonia can be focal (affecting one body part), segmental (affecting adjacent body parts), or generalized, and may be primary or secondary to other conditions.
From Greek 'dys-' (bad, abnormal) and 'tonos' (tension, tone), meaning 'abnormal muscle tone'. The term was introduced in early 20th-century neurology to describe this specific pattern of movement disorder distinct from other motor abnormalities.
Dystonia often begins with task-specific symptoms - like writer's cramp or musician's dystonia - where the brain's motor programs become 'corrupted' for specific learned movements while other movements remain normal. This selectivity shows how precisely organized our motor control systems are and how they can malfunction in very specific ways.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.