Contraction
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Contraction (Medicine)
Contraction (/kənˈtrækʃən/; from Latin contractio, "a drawing together") is a term used in various branches of medicine to describe the shortening or tensing of a part or organ, especially of a muscle or the heart.
Types of Contractions
In medicine, there are several types of contractions:
- Muscle Contraction: This is the activation of tension-generating sites within muscle fibers. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in muscle length.
- Cardiac Contraction: This refers to the heart muscle's rhythmic contractions that pump blood out of the heart and into the circulatory system.
- Uterine Contraction: These are the tightening and shortening of the uterine muscles during childbirth, which aid in the delivery of the baby and the expulsion of the placenta.
Related Terms
- Relaxation (medicine): This is the lengthening that occurs when a muscle returns to its resting state after a contraction.
- Tetany: This is a medical condition characterized by prolonged contractions of the muscles, caused by a variety of factors including abnormalities in the parathyroid gland and electrolyte imbalances.
- Spasm: This is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice.
- Cramp: This is a sudden, severe, and involuntary muscle contraction or over-shortening.
See Also
References
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Contraction
- Wikipedia's article - Contraction
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