carpopedal spasm

Muscle spasm of the wrists or hands & the feet. Etiology: - tetany - hypocalcemia (diminished ionized Ca⁺²) - hyperventilation Clinical manifestations: 1) flexion of the hands at the wrists 2) flexion of the fingers at the metacarpophalangeal joints 3) extension of the fingers at the phalangeal joints 4) dorsiflexion of the feet at the ankles 5) plantarflexion of the toes

References

Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999