postural contraction

contraction /con·trac·tion/ (kon-trak´shun) a drawing together; a shortening or shrinkage.

Braxton Hicks contractions light, usually painless, irregular uterine contractions during pregnancy, gradually increasing in intensity and frequency and becoming more rhythmic during the third trimester.

carpopedal contraction the condition due to chronic shortening of the muscles of the fingers, toes, arms, and legs in tetany.

cicatricial contraction the shrinkage and spontaneous closing of open skin wounds.

clonic contraction clonus.

hourglass contraction contraction of an organ, as the stomach or uterus, at or near the middle.

isometric contraction muscle contraction without appreciable shortening or change in distance between its origin and insertion.

Isotonic (A) and isometric (B) contraction.

isotonic contraction muscle contraction without appreciable change in the force of contraction; the distance between the muscle's origin and insertion becomes lessened.

lengthening contraction a muscle contraction in which the ends of the muscle move farther apart, as when the muscle is forcibly flexed.

paradoxical contraction contraction of a muscle caused by the passive approximation of its extremities.

postural contraction the state of muscular tension and contraction which just suffices to maintain the posture of the body.

shortening contraction a muscle contraction in which the ends of the muscle move closer together, as when a flexed limb is extended.

tetanic contraction sustained muscular contraction without intervals of relaxation.

tonic contraction tetanic c.

twitch contraction twitch.

uterine contraction contraction of the uterus during labor.

wound contraction the shrinkage and spontaneous closure of open skin wounds.

postural contraction

The maintenance of muscular tension sufficient to maintain posture.

contraction [kon-trak´shun]

a drawing together; a shortening or shrinkage.

Braxton Hicks c's see braxton hicks contractions.

carpopedal contraction the condition resulting from chronic shortening of the muscles of the upper and lower limbs including the fingers and toes, seen in tetany.

concentric contraction contraction resulting in shortening of a muscle, used to perform positive work or to accelerate a body part. It is metabolically more demanding than an eccentric contraction. Called also shortening contraction.

Dupuytren's contraction Dupuytren's contracture.

eccentric contraction contraction in the presence of a resistive force that results in elongation of a muscle, used to perform negative work or to decelerate a body part. It is less metabolically demanding than a concentric contraction but may cause disruption of associated connective tissue with delayed soreness or frank injury if it occurs in an unaccustomed manner. Called also lengthening contraction.

end-diastolic premature ventricular contraction a ventricular ectopic beat falling at the end of diastole; it may or may not be slightly premature and may or may not be a fusion beat.

haustral c's muscular contractions of the wall of the large intestine during which the haustra can be seen more easily; called also haustrations.

isometric contraction muscle contraction without appreciable shortening or change in distance between its origin and insertion.

isotonic contraction muscle contraction without appreciable change in the force of contraction; the distance between the origin and insertion becomes lessened.

lengthening contraction eccentric contraction.

postural contraction the state of muscular tension and contraction that just suffices to maintain the posture of the body.

segmental c's muscular contractions of the small intestine that serve to mix and transport chyme.

shortening contraction concentric contraction.

contraction stress test observation of the fetal heart rate in response to uterine contractions; see also fetal monitoring.

tetanic contraction (tonic contraction) physiological tetanus.

Volkmann's contraction Volkmann's contracture.

contraction

a drawing together; a shortening or shrinkage.

isovolumetric contraction

ventricular muscle contraction during early systole after closure of the atrioventricular valves and before the semilunar valves open; the muscle continues to contract, forcing up the ventricular pressure without any change in the ventricular volume.

muscle contraction

see muscle.

myocardial contraction

individual myocardial cells transmit motor impulses across cell boundaries and act as a syncytium.

contraction phase

the stage in wound healing when there is centripetal movement of surrounding tissues and the area of the wound decreases. This is believed to be a cell-mediated phenomenon, involving myofibroblasts.

postural contraction

the state of muscular tension and contraction that just suffices to maintain the posture of the body.

striated muscle contraction

see muscle.

tetanic contraction, tonic contraction

sustained muscular contraction with alternating relaxation.

Mentioned in	?		Medical browser	?		Full browser	?
Braxton Hicks contractions concentric contraction contraction eccentric contraction hourglass contraction isometric contraction paradoxical contraction tetanic contraction tonic contraction			postterm pregnancy posttibial posttransfusion posttransfusion graft-versus-host disease posttransfusion purpura posttransfusion syndrome posttransplant diabetes posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorder posttrauma malignancy posttraumatic posttraumatic amnesia posttraumatic epilepsy posttraumatic neck syndrome posttraumatic osteoporosis posttraumatic spondylitis posttraumatic stress disorder posttraumatic syndrome posttreatment review posttussive syncope postulate postural postural albuminuria postural analysis postural background movements postural balance postural contraction postural decompensation postural drainage postural fixation postural hypotension postural imbalance postural position postural proteinuria postural reflex postural syncope postural vertigo posture posture sense posture, normal posturing posturography postvaccinal postvaccinal encephalitis postvaccinal encephalomyelitis postvalvar postvertebral postviral fatigue syndrome postvoid residual urine volume pot pot- potable			Postulatio postulation postulation postulation postulation postulational postulational postulations postulations postulations postulations postulator postulators Postulatory Postulatory Postulatum Postulatum Postum Postumous Postumus Postumus, Marcus Cassianius Latinius postural postural postural postural albuminuria postural analysis Postural asphyxia postural background movements postural balance Postural Blood Pressure Test postural contraction postural control postural control postural control postural control postural control postural decompensation postural drainage postural drainage postural drainage postural drainage postural drainage Postural Drainage and Percussion Postural Drainage, Percussion, and Vibration postural edema Postural equilibrium postural fixation Postural hypertension Postural hypertension postural hypotension postural hypotension postural hypotension postural imbalance Postural instability Postural Instability and Gait Difficulty Postural Instability and Gait Disorder Postural kyphosis Postural kyphosis Postural kyphosis postural muscle contraction postural muscle contraction