Neuromuscular Terminology

Question 1

Agnosia

Answer 1

Inability to interpret information

Question 2

Agraphia

Answer 2

Inability to write due to a lesion within the brain. Typically found in combo with aphasia

Question 3

Alexia

Answer 3

Inability to read or comprehend written language secondary to lesion within dominant lobe of brain

Question 4

Anosognosia

Answer 4

Denial or unawareness of ones illness. Often associated with unilateral neglect

Question 5

Apraxia

Answer 5

Inability to perform purposeful learned movements or activities even though there is no sensory or motor impairment that would hinder completion of the task

Question 6

Body schema

Answer 6

Having an understanding of the body as a whole and the relationship of its parts to the whole

Question 7

Constructional apraxia

Answer 7

Inability to reproduce geometric figures and designs. A person is often unable to visually analyze how to perform a task

Question 8

Decerebrate rigidity

Answer 8

Characteristic of a corticospinal lesion at the level of the brainstem that results in extension of the trunk and all extremities

Question 9

Decorticate rigidity

Answer 9

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

Question 10

Diploplia

Answer 10

Double vision

Question 11

Dysarthria

Answer 11

Slurred and impaired speech due to a motor deficit of the tongue or other muscles essential for speech

Question 12

Dysprosody

Answer 12

Impairment in the rhythm and inflection of speech

Question 13

Emotional lability

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Hemiparesis

Answer 14

A condition of weakness on one side of the body

Question 15

Hemiplegia

Answer 15

Condition of paralysis on one side of the body

Question 16

Homonymus hemianopsia

Answer 16

Loss of right or left half of the field of vision in both eyes

Question 17

Ideational apraxia

Answer 17

Inability to formulate an initial motor plan and sequence tasks where the proprioceptive input necessary for movement is impaired

Question 18

Ideomotor apraxia

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Neologism

Answer 19

Substitution within a word that is so severe that it makes the word unrecognizable

Question 20

Perseveration

Answer 20

State of repeatedly performing the same segment of a task or repeatedly saying the same word/phrase without a purpose

Question 21

Synergy

Answer 21

Mass movement patterns that are primitive in nature and coupled with spasticity due to brain damage

Question 22

Unilateral neglect

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Head hips relationship

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Myelotomy

Answer 24

Surgical procedure that severs certain tracts within the spinal cord in order to decrease spasticity and improve function

Question 25

Neurectomy

Answer 25

Surgical removal of a segment of a nerve in order to decrease spasticity and improve function

Question 26

Neurogenic bladder

Answer 26

Bladder empties reflexively for a patient with an SCI above level of S2. Sacral reflex arc remains intact

Question 27

Neurologic level in SCI

Answer 27

Lowest segment (most caudal) of the spinal cord with intact strength and sensation. Muscle groups at this level must receive a grade of fair

Question 28

Nonreflexive bladder

Answer 28

Bladder is flaccid as a result of a Cauda equine or conus medullaris lesion. The sacral reflex arc is damaged

Question 29

Paradoxical breathing

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Rhizotomy

Answer 30

A surgical resection of the sensory component of a spinal nerv in order to decrease spasticity and improve function

Question 31

Sacral sparing

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Spinal shock

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Tenodesis

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Tenotomy

Answer 34

Surgical release of a tendon in order to decrease spasticity and improve function

Question 35

Zone of preservation

Answer 35

A term used to describe poor or trace motor or sensory function for up to three levels below the neurological level of injury