Which term describes increased tension of a muscle with increased resistance to passive movement?

Which term describes increased tension of a muscle with increased resistance to passive movement?

• A. Hypotonicity
• B. Hypertonicity
• C. Dystonia
• D. Spasticity

Answer: (B)

When muscle tone is higher than normal, you have hypertonicity, which means there is increased resistance to passive movement overall. This describes a tense, stiff muscle that doesn’t stretch easily when someone else moves it. Spasticity is a related idea, but it’s specifically velocity-dependent—the resistance increases more with faster movements. Since the description doesn’t refer to speed of movement, the term that fits best is hypertonicity. Dystonia involves involuntary, often twisting contractions, and hypotonicity is reduced muscle tone, so they don’t match the given description.

When muscle tone is higher than normal, you have hypertonicity, which means there is increased resistance to passive movement overall. This describes a tense, stiff muscle that doesn’t stretch easily when someone else moves it. Spasticity is a related idea, but it’s specifically velocity-dependent—the resistance increases more with faster movements. Since the description doesn’t refer to speed of movement, the term that fits best is hypertonicity. Dystonia involves involuntary, often twisting contractions, and hypotonicity is reduced muscle tone, so they don’t match the given description.