Muscle/Movement impairment Terminology Flashcards
Akinesia
The inability to initiate movement; commonly seen in patients with Parkinson’s disease
Asthenia
Generalized weakness, typically secondary to cerebellar pathology
Ataxia
The inability to perform coordinated movement
Athetosis
A condition that presents with involuntary movements combined with instability of posture. Peripheral movement occur without central stability (face, tongue, trunk, extremities)
Bradykinesia
Movement that is very slow
Chorea
Movement that are sudden, random, and involuntary.
Clonus
A characteristic of an upper motor neuron lesion, involuntary alternating spasmodic contraction of a muscle precipitated by a quick stretch reflex.
Cogwheel rigidity
A form of rigidity where resistance to movement has a phasic quality to it; often seen with Parkinson’s disease.
Dysdiadochokinesia
The inability to perform rapidly alternating movement.
Dysmetria
The inability to control the range of a movement and the force of muscular activity.
Dystonia
Closely related to athetosis, however there is larger axial muscle involvement rather that appendicular muscles.
Fasciculation
A muscular twitch that is caused by random discharge of a lower motor neuron and its muscle fibers, suggests lower motor neuron disease, however, can be benign.
Kinesthesia
The ability to perceive the direction and extent of movement of a joint or body part.
Lead pipe rigidity
A form of rigidity where there is uniform and constant resistance to range of motion, often associated with lesions of the basal ganglia
Rigidity
A state of severe hypertonicity where a sustained muscle contraction does not allow for any movement at a specified joint.
