Musculoskeletal System Diagnostic Terms

Question 1

ankylosis

Answer 1

stiff joint condition

Question 2

arthritis

Answer 2

inflammation of the joints characterized by pain, swelling, redness, warmth, and limitation of motion; there are more than 100 types of arthritis

Question 3

osteoarthritis
degenerative arthritis
degenerative joint disease (DJD)

Answer 3

most common form of arthritis, especially affecting the weight-bearing joints (e.g., knee or hip), characterized by the erosion of articular cartilage

Question 4

rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Answer 4

most crippling form of arthritis; characterized by chronic, systemic inflammation, most often affecting joints and synovial membranes (esp. in the hands and feet) and causing ankylosis and deformity

Question 5

gouty arthritis

Answer 5

acute attacks of arthritis, usually in a single joint (esp. the great toe), caused by hyperuricemia (an excessive level of uric acid in the blood).

Question 6

bony necrosis

sequestrum

Answer 6

bone tissue that has died from loss of blood supply, such as can occur after a fracture (sequestrum = something laid aside)

Question 7

bunion

Answer 7

swelling of the joint at the base of the great toe caused by inflammation of the bursa

Question 8

bursitis

Answer 8

inflammation of the bursa

Question 9

chondromalacia

Answer 9

softening of cartilage

Question 10

epiphysitis

Answer 10

inflammation of the epiphyseal regions of the long bone

Question 11

fracture (Fx)

Answer 11

broken or cracked

Question 12

closed fracture

Answer 12

broken bone with no open wound

Question 13

open fracture

Answer 13

compound fracture; broken bone with an open wound

Question 14

simple fracture

Answer 14

non-displaced fracture with one fracture line that does not require extensive treatment to repair (e.g., hairline fracture, stress fracture, or a crack)

Question 15

complex fracture

Answer 15

displaced fracture that requires manipulation or surgery to repair

Question 16

fracture line

Answer 16

the line of the break in a broken bone (e.g., oblique, spiral, or transverse)

Question 17

comminuted fracture

Answer 17

broken in many small pieces

Question 18

greenstick fracture

Answer 18

bending and incomplete break of a bone; most often seen in children

Question 19

herniated disk

Answer 19

protrusion of a degenerated or fragmented intervertebral disk so that the nucleus pulposus protrudes, causing compression on the nerve root

Question 20

myeloma

Answer 20

bone marrow tumor

Question 21

myositis

Answer 21

inflammation of muscle

Question 22

myoma

Answer 22

muscle tumor

Question 23

leiomyoma

Answer 23

smooth muscle tumor

Question 24

leiomyosarcoma

Answer 24

malignant smooth muscle tumor

Question 25

rhabdomyoma

Answer 25

skeletal muscle tumor

Question 26

rhabdomyosarcoma

Answer 26

malignant skeletal muscle tumor

Question 27

muscular dystrophy

Answer 27

a category of genetically transmitted diseases characterized by progressive atrophy of skeletal muscles; Duchenne type is most common

Question 28

osteoma

Answer 28

bone tumor

Question 29

osteosarcoma

Answer 29

type of malignant bone tumor

Question 30

osteomalacia

Answer 30

disease marked by softening of the bone caused by calcium and vitamin D deficiency

Question 31

rickets

Answer 31

osteomalacia in children; causes bone deformity

Question 32

osteomyelitis

Answer 32

infection of bone and bone marrow, causing inflammation

Question 33

osteoporosis

Answer 33

condition of decreased bone density and increased porosity, causing bones to become brittle and to fracture more easily (porosis=passage)

Question 34

spinal curvatures

Answer 34

curvatures of the spine (backbone) or spinal column (vertebral column)

Question 35

kyphosis

Answer 35

abnormal posterior curvature of the thoracic spine (humped-back condition)

Question 36

lordosis

Answer 36

abnormal anterior curvature of the lumbar spine (sway-back condition)

Question 37

scoliosis

Answer 37

abnormal lateral curvature of the spine (S-shaped curve)

Question 38

spondylolisthesis

Answer 38

forward slipping of a lumbar vertebra (listhesis= slipping)

Question 39

spondylosis

Answer 39

stiff, immobile condition of vertebrae caused by joint degeneration

Question 40

sprain

Answer 40

injury to a ligament caused by joint trauma but without joint dislocation or fracture

Question 41

subluxation

Answer 41

partial dislocation (luxation=dislocation)

Question 42

tendinitis

tendonitis

Answer 42

inflammation of a tendon