Clinical Diagnosis · Nervous System · Medium

Myoclonus

Meaning: Sudden, brief, shock-like jerks of a muscle or muscle group.

In practice: The jerk felt when drifting off to sleep is a harmless physiological example.

Word parts

  • myo- means muscle

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

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Which word means: A false sensation that oneself or the surroundings are spinning.

Which word means: Painless separation of the nail plate from the underlying nail bed.

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