| Abduction: |
Motion directed away from the midline of the body. (Opposite of adduction.) |
| Active motion: |
Joint motion carried out by the patient. |
| Adduction: |
Motion toward the midline of the body. |
| Annulus fibrosis: |
The highly elastic fibrocarti laginous envelope about each intervertebral disk. A tear of this membrane and dislodging of the inner cartilage leads to extrusion of the nucleus pulposus of the disk. |
| Arthritis: |
Inflammation of a joint. |
| Arthroplasty: |
Surgery of a joint to make or increase movement. |
| Atrophy: |
Wasting away with diminution in size of cell, tissue, organ or part. |
| Bursa: |
A small fluid filled sac situated over the bony prominence (usually) and serving to relieve friction and pressure. |
| Cartilage: |
This tissue is commonly called gristle. It covers the ends of the bones and facilitates their gliding action within the joints. |
| Cervical: |
Pertaining to the neck. |
| Chondromalacia: |
Softness of the articular cartilage, usually involving the patella. |
| Clonus: |
Spasmodic alternation of muscular contraction and relaxation. |
| Crepitation: |
A crackling sound heard in certain conditions such as the rale heard in pneumonia or the grating sound heard on movement of ends of a broken bone. |
| Dislocation: |
The displacement of any part, more especially of a bone at a joint. |
| Dorsal: |
Refers to that region of the back which extends from the neck down to the lumbar region; also refers to the back, or posterior aspect of any part of an extremity. |
| Dorsiflexion: |
Bending toward the dorsal aspect, as the wrist refers to lifting the wrist up. |
| Dysplasia: |
Abnormality of development. |
| Dystrophy: |
Defective or faulty nutrition. |
| Effusion: |
Escape of fluid into a pad, as the pleural cavity, such as hemothorax (blood), pneumothorax (air), etc. |
| Extension: |
From an orthopaedic standpoint, this term is used to mean the straightening of a joint. The opposite of flexion or bending. |
| Flexion: |
(Bending) The opposite of extension or straightening. |
| Fusion: |
The formation of an ankylosis, either following injury, disease or surgically produced. |
| Hyperextension: |
Extreme or excessive extension. |
| Idiopathic: |
Of unknown cause. |
| Kyphosis: |
Humpback. Curving posteriorward. |
| Lateral: |
Outer. Away from the sagittal plane of the body. |
| Ligament: |
A band of fibrous tissue that connects bones or cartilage. |
| Lordosis: |
Curving anteriorward. Curvature of the spinal column with a forward convexity. |
| Lumbar: |
Pertaining to the part of the back which extends from the lowest ribs down to the upper border of the pelvis. |
| Orthopaedics: |
The branch of surgery which deals with the bones and joints and other structures closely related to them. |
| Paresthesia: |
Sensation of numbness, prickling or tingling or heightened sensitivity. |
| Passive motion: |
Movement of a patient's joint by a person who is examining or treating the patient. Contrast with active motion which is carried out by the patient himself. |
| Prespondylolisthesis (Spondylolysis): |
A vertebral defect predisposing to spondylolisthesis. The condition consists of a congenital anomaly causing a separation of the articular facets, usually in the lumbar spine, symptoms of low back pain and sciatica may result. Treatment consists of supports and other orthopaedic measures. |
| Sacrum: |
The lower five vertebrae fused together and joined with the pelvis. |
| Sacroiliac: |
The joint between the sacrum and pelvic bone and ilium. |
| Scoliosis: |
Abnormal curvature of the vertebral column, a lateral curvature. |
| Spinal Fusion Operation: |
A bone operation which results in strengthening of the spinal column by obliteration of the joints between some of the vertebrae. |
| Spondylolisthesis: |
A defect in a vertebra between the pedicle and the lamina with forward displacement of the upper facet and the vertebra above. |
| Supination: |
A turning of the hand so that the palm faces upward. The opposition of pronation. |
| Synovium: |
The lining of a joint. |
| Tendon: |
The strong fibrous cord or "leader" which connects a muscle to the bone which it is designated to move. |
| Thoracic: |
Pertaining to the thorax or chest. |
| Tonus: |
The slight, continuous contraction of muscle, which in skeletal muscles aid in the maintenance of posture and in the return of blood to the heart. |
| Traction: |
A pulling force, often provided by weights hung over the end of the bed and attached to some part of the body by means of tape, etc. |
