Spasm

Muscle spasm
Muscle spasms in a patient suffering from tetanus (1809)
ICD-10	R25.2
ICD-9	728.85

WikiDoc Resources for Spasm
Articles
Most recent articles on Spasm Most cited articles on Spasm Review articles on Spasm Articles on Spasm in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ
Media
Powerpoint slides on Spasm Images of Spasm Photos of Spasm Podcasts & MP3s on Spasm Videos on Spasm
Evidence Based Medicine
Cochrane Collaboration on Spasm Bandolier on Spasm TRIP on Spasm
Clinical Trials
Ongoing Trials on Spasm at Clinical Trials.gov Trial results on Spasm Clinical Trials on Spasm at Google
Guidelines / Policies / Govt
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Spasm NICE Guidance on Spasm NHS PRODIGY Guidance FDA on Spasm CDC on Spasm
Books
Books on Spasm
News
Spasm in the news Be alerted to news on Spasm News trends on Spasm
Commentary
Blogs on Spasm
Definitions
Definitions of Spasm
Patient Resources / Community
Patient resources on Spasm Discussion groups on Spasm Patient Handouts on Spasm Directions to Hospitals Treating Spasm Risk calculators and risk factors for Spasm
Healthcare Provider Resources
Symptoms of Spasm Causes & Risk Factors for Spasm Diagnostic studies for Spasm Treatment of Spasm
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
CME Programs on Spasm
International
Spasm en Espanol Spasm en Francais
Business
Spasm in the Marketplace Patents on Spasm
Experimental / Informatics
List of terms related to Spasm

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. It is sometimes accompanied by a sudden burst of pain, but is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes. Spasmodic muscle contraction may also be due to a large number of medical conditions, however, including the dystonias.

By extension, a spasm is also a sudden and temporary burst of energy, activity, or emotion.

A subtype of spasms is colic, an episodic pain due to spasms of smooth muscle in a particular organ (e.g. the bile duct). A characteristic of colic is the sensation of having to move about, and the pain may induce nausea or vomiting if severe. Series of spasms or permanent spasms are called a spasmism.

In very severe cases, the spasm can induce muscular contractions that are more forceful than the sufferer could generate under normal circumstances. This can lead to torn tendons and ligaments.

Some argue that hysterical strength is a type of spasm induced by the brain under extreme circumstances.

See also

• Cramp
• Angina
• Cadaveric spasm
• Myoclonus
• Hypnic jerk
• Blepharospasm
• Muscle contraction

External links

• NIH Medical Encyclopedia
• How Stuff Works
• Helio Health
• Swedish