a neurological disorder, caused by disease of the basal ganglia, in which the muscles of the trunk, shoulders, and neck go into spasm, so that the head and limbs are held in unnatural positions
Word origin
from dys- + -tonia from Greek tonos tension, from teinen to stretch
dystonia in American English
(dɪsˈtoʊnɛə)
noun
a lack of normal muscle tone due to disease or infection of the nervous system