Oxford Reference Search Results

protective muscle spasm   Quick reference

The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine (3 ed.)

... muscle spasm A sustained involuntary muscle contraction that occurs after injury to the muscle as a protective mechanism to prevent further movement. Such spasms commonly result in muscle...

protective muscle spasm   Quick reference

Food and Fitness: A Dictionary of Diet and Exercise (2 ed.)

... muscle spasm A sustained, involuntary muscle contraction, often occurring after muscle injury as a protective mechanism to prevent further movement and damage. Such spasms commonly result in...

frozen shoulder   Quick reference

Food and Fitness: A Dictionary of Diet and Exercise (2 ed.)

...shoulder Chronic pain, inflammation, and restricted movement in the shoulder. It is a common overuse injury in the 50+ age group. During exercise it may be caused by wrenching the shoulder, and inducing a protective spasm in a shoulder muscle. However, it may also be linked to a cardiovascular disorder, or it may develop for no apparent reason. Treatment is by gentle massage and special exercises, sometimes combined with the application of...

joint stiffness   Quick reference

The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine (3 ed.)

...change in joint angle divided by a change in joint torque or moment. Joint stiffness depends on the resistances offered by joint structures (including muscles and ligaments), skin, and subcutaneous connective tissue. 2 A condition, characterized by difficulty in moving a joint, which is usually accompanied by discomfort and pain. Joint stiffness often follows a joint injury when muscles go into a protective spasm, which reduces movement. Joint stiffness should be treated cautiously and no attempt should be made to move the joint forcibly. Persistent, painful...

frozen shoulder   Quick reference

The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine (3 ed.)

...joint capsule in the shoulder stick together and form adhesions . It is characterized by chronic pain, inflammation, and restricted movement. It is a common overuse injury of those over 50 years old. It may be caused by wrenching the shoulder which induces a protective spasm in the subscapular muscles, but it is also associated with a stroke, cardiac infarction, or it may occur for no apparent reason. Treatment is typically by gentle massage and exercises, sometimes combined with corticosteroid treatment. Frozen shoulder is exacerbated by inactivity so it...

allergy   Reference library

Maurice Lessof

The Oxford Companion to Medicine (3 ed.)

...The physiology of asthma begins in the cells of the lungs. Inflammation is now recognized as important, but other triggering agents may contribute, leading to spasm of smooth muscle and reversible airways obstruction, which are both hallmarks of the disease. This kind of ‘twitchy lung’ may either be part of an allergic reaction (extrinsic asthma) or may occur in people whose bronchial muscle fibers overreact for various other reasons (intrinsic asthma). The factors that can cause this overreaction range from viruses to the inhalation of sulphur dioxide,...

Vertebrates   Reference library

Encyclopedia of Evolution

...large mammals as well as some turtles, lizards, and birds. Each of those megafaunal extinction spasms occurred shortly after the arrival of humans, despite the fact that they happened at widely different times and under different ecological regimes, thus implying that we played a causal role. Now, with the Earth's human population at six billion and pollution, deforestation, and other environmental onslaughts ever more pervasive, another major extinction spasm looms. Our most pressing challenge for the twenty-first century is to preserve as much as possible...

United States of America   Reference library

The Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality

...at sexarche. Also, women who had reported negative reactions to their first intercourse were subsequently more likely than those who felt more positively to experience: lack of sexual interest, sexual repulsion, inability to reach orgasm, or genital discomfort, pain, or vaginal spasms. Men who reacted negatively to their first intercourse were more likely to ejaculate too quickly during later sexual experiences than men who had positive reactions. Both men and women were more likely to experience subsequent sexual functioning concerns when they were pressured...