contracture

[ kuhn-trak-cher ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. a shortening or distortion of muscular or connective tissue due to spasm, scar, or paralysis of the antagonist of the contracting muscle.

contracture

/ kənˈtræktʃə /

noun

1. a disorder in which a skeletal muscle is permanently tightened (contracted), most often caused by spasm or paralysis of the antagonist muscle that maintains normal muscle tension

Other Words From

• con·tractured adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of contracture¹

1650–60; < Latin contractūra, equivalent to contract ( us ) drawn together (past participle of contrahere; contract ) + -ūra -ure

Example Sentences

The approach involves inserting a needle through the skin to break up the cords of tissue causing the contracture.

From Washington Post

Buttock augmentation may appeal to a wider set, but it, too, can involve various risks: infection, capsular contracture, sciatic neuropathy, fat embolism.

From New York Times

How on earth did obscure medical conditions like Dupuytren’s contracture get into the books?

From Seattle Times

She kept playing through two bouts of cancer and a painful case of Dupuyten’s contracture, an abnormal thickening of the skin on the hand, which severely limited the mobility of her fingers.

From New York Times

The potential hazards of clinical lag time also hold true for other specialty areas — blurry vision can herald impending strokes, and unattended orthopedic injuries can settle into contractures.

From Washington Post