contortion

Universal Words noun 1 [U] the state of the face or body being twisted out of its natural shape: Their bodies had suffered contortion as a result of malnutrition. 2 [C] a movement which twists the body out of its natural shape: His facial contortions amused the audience of schoolchildren. * (figurative) We had to go through all the usual contortions to get a ticket (= a difficult series of actions).