What it means
What a muscle does when it works: its fibers pull together and the muscle gets shorter or tighter. skeletal muscleSKEL-uh-tul MUS-ulMuscle attached to bones that a person moves by choice, such as the muscles of the arms and legs.Full entry contract when we choose to move; heart muscle and smooth musclesmooth MUS-ulMuscle that works without conscious control and lines hollow organs such as the stomach, intestines, bladder, airways and blood vessels.Full entry contract on their own. Contraction of the uterus in labor is a uterine contractionYOO-ter-in kun-TRAK-shunA tightening and then relaxing of the muscle of the uterus (womb), as happens during labor.Full entry . The word is also used for a wound getting smaller as it heals.
For the nurse
Muscle contraction needs the right levels of electrolytes such as calciumKAL-see-umA mineral that builds bones and teeth and that nerves, muscles, the heart and blood clotting need to work.Full entry and potassiumpuh-TAS-ee-umA mineral in the blood that nerves and muscles, including the heart, need in order to work.Full entry ; abnormal levels can cause cramps, twitching or weakness. A contracture is different: a joint stuck in a bent position from shortened muscles and tendons.
At a glance
| Spanish | contracción |
|---|---|
| Also written | contractions |
Related terms
calcium
A mineral that builds bones and teeth and that nerves, muscles, the heart and blood clotting need to work.
uterine contraction
A tightening and then relaxing of the muscle of the uterus (womb), as happens during labor.
smooth muscle
Muscle that works without conscious control and lines hollow organs such as the stomach, intestines, bladder, airways and blood vessels.
skeletal muscle
Muscle attached to bones that a person moves by choice, such as the muscles of the arms and legs.