When a muscle is relaxed and has intact nerve supply, there is a slight residual tension known as ______________

• A. Elasticity
• B. Spasm
• C. Muscle tone
• D. Rigidity

Answer: (C)

The slight residual tension in a relaxed muscle with intact nerve supply is muscle tone. This baseline level of neural activity keeps muscles ready to respond and helps maintain posture. It arises from ongoing motor neuron input, modulated by the gamma loop that tunes muscle spindle sensitivity, producing a small, continuous resistance to passive stretch. This normal tone is what you feel as a gentle, consistent resistance when you passively move a relaxed limb. It differs from elasticity (the tissue’s inherent stretch-recoil property), spasm (an involuntary burst of contraction), and rigidity (a constant, pathologic increase in resistance to movement, not just a mild background tone).