Which term denotes a combination of hypo and hypertonicity?

Which term denotes a combination of hypo and hypertonicity?

• A. Dystonia
• B. Tone
• C. Normal Tone
• D. Mixed Tone

Answer: (D)

Tone is the resistance felt when a limb is moved passively, and it can be too low (hypotonia) or too high (hypertonia). When different muscles or body parts show opposite tendencies—some are low and some are high, or tone shifts over time or with different tasks—the overall pattern is described as mixed tone. This term captures the idea that not all muscles are behaving the same way at once, which clinicians see in conditions like cerebral palsy or after brain injury. Dystonia, while involving abnormal movements and postures, isn’t defined by a simple mix of high and low tone. Normal tone means there’s no abnormal deviation in resistance. So the combination of hypo- and hypertonicity is best described as mixed tone.

Tone is the resistance felt when a limb is moved passively, and it can be too low (hypotonia) or too high (hypertonia). When different muscles or body parts show opposite tendencies—some are low and some are high, or tone shifts over time or with different tasks—the overall pattern is described as mixed tone. This term captures the idea that not all muscles are behaving the same way at once, which clinicians see in conditions like cerebral palsy or after brain injury. Dystonia, while involving abnormal movements and postures, isn’t defined by a simple mix of high and low tone. Normal tone means there’s no abnormal deviation in resistance. So the combination of hypo- and hypertonicity is best described as mixed tone.