Atony

In medicine, atony (also atonia) is a condition in which a muscle has lost its strength. It is frequently associated with the conditions atonic seizure, atonic colon, uterine atony, gastrointestinal atony (occurs postoperatively) and choreatic atonia.

Atony can also refer to the paralyzed or extremely relaxed state of skeletal muscles in rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) in most warm-blooded animals.

The term atony comes from the Ancient Greek ἀτονία (atonia), "slackness, debility".