Contracture

Contracture
This article refers to orthopedic contractures; for other types of contractures see the "See Also" section below.
Contracture
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 M24.5, M62.4, M67.1, M72.0, T79.6
ICD-9 718.4, 727.81, 728.6, 958.6
MeSH D003286

A muscle contracture is a permanent shortening of a muscle[1] or joint.[2]. It is usually in response to prolonged hypertonic spasticity in a concentrated muscle area, such as is seen in the tightest muscles of people with conditions like spastic cerebral palsy.

Contractures are essentially muscles or tendons that have gotten too tight for too long, thus becoming shorter. Once they occur they cannot be stretched or exercised away; they must be released with orthopedic surgery or Osteopathic Manipulative Technique the application of osteopathic manipulative medicine. Most of the physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other exercise regimens targeted towards people with spasticity focuses on trying to prevent contractures from happening in the first place.

Contractures can also be due to ischemia, as in Volkmann's contracture.

See also

References

  1. ^ "contracture" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
  2. ^ Clavet H, Hébert PC, Fergusson D, Doucette S, Trudel G (March 2008). "Joint contracture following prolonged stay in the intensive care unit". CMAJ 178 (6): 691–7. doi:10.1503/cmaj.071056. PMC 2263098. PMID 18332384. http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=18332384. 

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • contracture — [ kɔ̃traktyr ] n. f. • 1676; « contraction » 1611; lat. contractura 1 ♦ Archit. Rétrécissement de la partie supérieure d une colonne. 2 ♦ (1808) Méd. Contraction prolongée et involontaire d un ou plusieurs muscles. ⇒ crampe, spasme, tétanie.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • contracture — 1650s, from Fr. contracture, from L. contractura a drawing together, from contractus, pp. of contrahere (see CONTRACT (Cf. contract)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • Contracture — Con*trac ture (?; 135), n. [L. contractura a drawing together.] (Med.) A state of permanent rigidity or contraction of the muscles, generally of the flexor muscles. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • contracture — CONTRACTURE. subst. f. Terme d Architecture. Rétrécissement qui se fait dans la partie supérieure d une colonne …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • contracture — [kən trak′chər] n. a condition of abnormal shortening or shrinkage of a muscle, tendon, etc., often with persistent flexion or distortion at a joint …   English World dictionary

  • Contracture — Une contracture, terme utilisé le plus souvent dans le milieu sportif, est une contraction musculaire involontaire d un certain nombre de fibres musculaires au sein d un même muscle ou d un groupe musculaire, d une durée inhabituellement longue,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • contracture — Static muscle shortening due to tonic spasm or fibrosis, to loss of muscular balance, the antagonists being paralyzed or to a loss of motion of the adjacent joint. [L. contractura, fr. con traho, to draw together] Dupuytren c. a disease of the… …   Medical dictionary

  • contracture — n. fibrosis of skeletal muscle or connective tissue producing shortening and resulting in deformity of a joint. See also: Dupuytren s contracture, Volkmann s contracture …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Contracture de Dupuytren — Maladie de Dupuytren Maladie de Dupuytren CIM 10: M72.0 {{{CIM10}}}.0 {{{X.0}}} …   Wikipédia en Français

  • contracture — noun Date: 1658 a permanent shortening (as of muscle, tendon, or scar tissue) producing deformity or distortion …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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