Canadian Medical Guide > Diseases > Musculoskeletal Diseases > Muscular Diseases > Muscle Rigidity Terms and Definitions

Muscle Rigidity

Medical Definition:	Continuous involuntary sustained muscle contraction which is often a manifestation of BASAL GANGLIA DISEASES. When an affected muscle is passively stretched, the degree of resistance remains constant regardless of the rate at which the muscle is stretched. This feature helps to distinguish rigidity from MUSCLE SPASTICITY. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p73)
Also Called:	Catatonic Rigidity,Cogwheel Rigidity,Extensor Rigidity,Extrapyramidal Rigidity,Gegenhalten,Nuchal Rigidity
Previously Indexed:	Muscular Diseases (1966-1971)

CANADIAN MEDICAL GUIDE

Thank you for visiting Canadian Medical Guide .com