dystonia
noun
dys·to·nia dis-ˈtō-nē-ə 
: any of various conditions (such as Parkinson's disease and torticollis) characterized by abnormalities of movement and muscle tone
dystonic
dis-ˈtä-nik
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In 1997, the FDA gave its first green light to deep brain stimulation as a treatment for tremor, and then for Parkinson’s in 2002 and the movement disorder dystonia in 2003. 
Isabella Cueto, STAT, 14 Jan. 2022 His sister Kendra Marcus said the cause was dystonia. Annabelle Williams, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2021 The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2019 Following her flu and respiratory episodes recently in the emergency room, she's been experiencing new neurological symptoms, including dystonia, a movement disorder. Ryan Prior, CNN, 7 May 2020 The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2019 The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2019 The cause of dystonia isn't known, but some forms are inherited, states Mayo Clinic. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 9 Dec. 2019 Spinney, who also operated and voiced Oscar, Big Bird's grumpy trash can-dwelling neighbor, before retiring from the iconic kids program in October 2018, died at his home in Connecticut after living with dystonia for some time. Lisa De Los Reyes, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2019 See More
Isabella Cueto, STAT, 14 Jan. 2022 His sister Kendra Marcus said the cause was dystonia. Annabelle Williams, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2021 The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2019 Following her flu and respiratory episodes recently in the emergency room, she's been experiencing new neurological symptoms, including dystonia, a movement disorder. Ryan Prior, CNN, 7 May 2020 The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2019 The legendary puppeteer lived for some time with dystonia, which causes involuntary muscle contractions, the Sesame Workshop said in a statement. Washington Post, 9 Dec. 2019 The cause of dystonia isn't known, but some forms are inherited, states Mayo Clinic. Claire Gillespie, Health.com, 9 Dec. 2019 Spinney, who also operated and voiced Oscar, Big Bird's grumpy trash can-dwelling neighbor, before retiring from the iconic kids program in October 2018, died at his home in Connecticut after living with dystonia for some time. Lisa De Los Reyes, Billboard, 8 Dec. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from German Dystonie, from dys- dys- + -tonie -tonia
Note: Though dystonia appears in polyglot medial lexica in the 19th century, the use of the word to refer to a specific condition probably dates from the German neurologist Hermann Oppenheim's application of Dystonie to the condition he named dystonia musculorum deformans in the article "Über eine eigenartige Krampfkrankheit des kindlichen und jugendlichen Alters (dysbasia lordotica progressiva, dystonia musculorum deformans)," Neurologisches Centralblatt, Band 30 (1911), pp. 1090-1107.
First Known Use
1860, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
dystonia
noun
dys·to·nia dis-ˈtō-nē-ə
: a state of disordered tonicity of tissues (as of muscle)