Neuromuscular Terminology Flashcards
Agnosia
Inability to interpret information
Agraphia
Inability to write due to a lesion within the brain. Typically found in combo with aphasia
Alexia
Inability to read or comprehend written language secondary to lesion within dominant lobe of brain
Anosognosia
Denial or unawareness of ones illness. Often associated with unilateral neglect
Apraxia
Inability to perform purposeful learned movements or activities even though there is no sensory or motor impairment that would hinder completion of the task
Body schema
Having an understanding of the body as a whole and the relationship of its parts to the whole
Constructional apraxia
Inability to reproduce geometric figures and designs. A person is often unable to visually analyze how to perform a task
Decerebrate rigidity
Characteristic of a corticospinal lesion at the level of the brainstem that results in extension of the trunk and all extremities
Decorticate rigidity
Characteristic of a corticospinal lesion at the level of the diencephalon where the trunk and lower extremities are positioned in extension and the upper extremities are positioned in flexion
Diploplia
Double vision
Dysarthria
Slurred and impaired speech due to a motor deficit of the tongue or other muscles essential for speech
Dysprosody
Impairment in the rhythm and inflection of speech
Emotional lability
Characteristic of a right hemisphere infarct where there is an inability to control emotions and outbursts of laughing or crying that are inconsistent with the situation
Hemiparesis
A condition of weakness on one side of the body
Hemiplegia
Condition of paralysis on one side of the body
Homonymus hemianopsia
Loss of right or left half of the field of vision in both eyes
Ideational apraxia
Inability to formulate an initial motor plan and sequence tasks where the proprioceptive input necessary for movement is impaired
Ideomotor apraxia
Condition where a person plans a movement or task but cannot volitionally perform it. Automatic movement may occur, however, a person cannot impose additional movement on command
Neologism
Substitution within a word that is so severe that it makes the word unrecognizable
Perseveration
State of repeatedly performing the same segment of a task or repeatedly saying the same word/phrase without a purpose
Synergy
Mass movement patterns that are primitive in nature and coupled with spasticity due to brain damage
Unilateral neglect
Inability to interpret stimuli and events on the contra lateral side of a hemispheric lesion. Left sided neglect is most common with a lesion to the right inferior parietal or superior temporal lobes
Head hips relationship
Principle of mechanics used during mobility training of SCI with upper extremity weight bearing used as a fulcrum for activity. The technique requires the head to move in the opposite direction from the hips
Myelotomy
Surgical procedure that severs certain tracts within the spinal cord in order to decrease spasticity and improve function
Neurectomy
Surgical removal of a segment of a nerve in order to decrease spasticity and improve function
Neurogenic bladder
Bladder empties reflexively for a patient with an SCI above level of S2. Sacral reflex arc remains intact
Neurologic level in SCI
Lowest segment (most caudal) of the spinal cord with intact strength and sensation. Muscle groups at this level must receive a grade of fair
Nonreflexive bladder
Bladder is flaccid as a result of a Cauda equine or conus medullaris lesion. The sacral reflex arc is damaged
Paradoxical breathing
Form of abnormal breathing that is common in tetraplegia where the abdomen rises and the chest is pulled inward during inspiration. On expiration the abdomen falls and the chest expands
Rhizotomy
A surgical resection of the sensory component of a spinal nerv in order to decrease spasticity and improve function
Sacral sparing
An incomplete SCI lesion where some of the innermost tracts remain innervated. Characteristics include sensation of the saddle area, movement of the toe flexors, and rectal sphincter contraction
Spinal shock
A physiologic response that occurs between 30 and 60 minutes after trauma to the spinal cord and can last up to several weeks. Spinal shock presents with total flaccid paralysis and loss of all reflexes below the level of injury
Tenodesis
Patients with tetraplegia that do not possess motor control for grasp can utilize the tight finger flexors in combination with wrist extension to produce a form of grasp
Tenotomy
Surgical release of a tendon in order to decrease spasticity and improve function
Zone of preservation
A term used to describe poor or trace motor or sensory function for up to three levels below the neurological level of injury
