Orthopedic vocabulary Flashcards
joint
formed where two or more bones meet; also called an articulation; synovial joints are the most common type of joint in the body; their high level of range of motion gives the skeleton its flexibility
bone graft
surgical procedure that uses a piece of bone to replace lost bone or to fuse two bones together
bone scan
nuclear medicine scan using radioactive dye to visualize bones; especially useful for finding stress fractures and bone cancer
bunion
inflammation and enlargement of bursa of first metatarsophalangeal joint base (base of bit toe)
carpal tunnel syndrome
carp/o (wrist)
-al (pertaining to)
repetitive motion disorder caused by pressure on tendons and nerves as they pastt through carpal tunnel of wrist
closed fracture
broken bone with no open skin wound (also called simple fracture)
comminuted fracture
bone break where bone shatters into many small fragments
compound fracture
broken bone with open skin wound (also called open fracture)
compression fracture
bone break causing loss of height of vertebral body; may result from trauma, but in older persons, especially women, may occur in a bone weakened by osteoporosis
contracture
abnormal shortening of muscle fibers, tendons, or connective tissue making it difficult to stretch muscle
creatine kinase (CK)
muscle enzyme found in skeletal and cardiac muscle; elevated blood levels associated with heart attack, muscular dystrophy, and other skeletal muscle pathologies
deep tendon reflex (DTR)
involuntary muscle contraction in response to striking muscle tendon with reflex hammer; test used to determine whether muscles respond properly
dislocation
occurs when bones in joint are displaced from normal alignment and ends of bones are no longer in contact with each other
dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
-metry (process of measuring)
test using low-dose x-ray beams to measure bone density; used to diagnose osteoporosis
fibromyalgia
fibr/o (fibrous)
my/o (muscles)
-algia (pain)
chronic condition with widespread aching and pain in the muscles and fibrous soft tissue
fixation
procedure to stabilize fractured bone while it heals; external fixation includes casts, splints, and pins inserted through skin; internal fixation includes pins, plates, rods, screws, and wires that are put into place during a surgical procedure call open reduction
fracture (FX, fx)
broken bone
ganglion cyst
formation of a cyst in the sheath covering a tendon; frequently seen on hand, wrist, or ankle
gout
type of arthritis consisting of pain and swelling at joint between big toe and forefoot; caused by the body depositing crystals of uric acid (a metabolic waste product) in soft tissues; more common in men
greenstick fracture
fracture with incomplete break; one side of the bone breaks and other side only bends; com)monly seen in children because their bones are still pliable
herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP)
protrusion of intervertebral disk between two vertebrae, which puts pressure on spinal nerves; also called herniated disk or ruptured disk; may require surgery
impacted fracture
fracture in which one bone fragment is pushed into another
impacted fracture
fracture in which one bone fragment is pushed into another
kyphosis
kyph/o (hump)
-osis (abnormal condition)
abnormal increase in normal outward curvature of thoracic spine (also called hunchback or humpback)
lordosis
lord/o (bent backward)
-osis (abnormal condition)
abnormal increase in normal forward curvature of lumbar spine (also called swayback)
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
diagnostic imaging technique that uses electromagnetic energy to produce an image; especially useful for viewing soft tissues, such as spinal cord and intervertebral disks
muscle atrophy
a- (without)
-trophy (development)
loss of muscle bulk due to muscle disease, nervous system disease, or lack of use (commonly called muscle wasting)
muscular dystrophy ((MD) muscul/o (muscle) -ar (pertaining to) dys- (abnormal) -trophy (development)
one of a group of inherited diseases involving progressive muscle degeneration, weakness, and atrophy
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
large group of drugs that provide mild pain relief and anti-inflammatory benefits for conditions such as arthritis
oblique fracture
bone break in which fracture line runs along an angle to shaft of the bone
orthosis
orth/o (straight)
externally applied brace or splint used to prevent or correct deformities; orthotist is person skilled in making and adjusting orthoses
osteoarthritis (OA)
oste/o (bone)
arthr/o (joint)
-itis (inflammation)
arthritis caused by loss of cartilage cushion covering bones in joint; most common in weight-bearing joints; results in bone rubbing against bone
osteoporosis
oste/o (bone)
-porosis (porous)
condition that develops due to a decrease in bone mass; results in a thinning and weakening of the bone; may lead to pathologic fracture; most commonly seen in older women
osteogenic sarcoma
oste/o (bone)
-genic (producing0
-oma (tumor)
most common type of bone cancer; usually begins in osteocytes found at ends of bones; most frequently occurs in persons 10-25 years of age
pathologic fracture
path/o (disease)
broken bone caused by diseased or weakened bone, not trauma
percutaneous diskectomy per- (through) cutane/o (skin) -ous (pertaining to) -ectomy (surgical removal)
thin catheter tube is inserted into intervertebral disk through skin to suck out pieces of herniated or ruptured disk; or laser is used to vaporize disk
prosthesis
any artificial device used to substitute for body part that is either missing from birth or lost as the result of an accident of disease (e.g., artificial leg); prosthetist is person trained in making prostheses
radiography
-graphy (process of recording)
diagnostic imaging procedure using x-rays to see internal structure of body; especially useful for visualizing bones and joints
reduction
correcting fracture or dislocation by realigning bone; closed reduction moves bones externally; open reduction manipulates bones through a surgical incision; open reduction usually performed before internal fixation of bone fragments
repetitive motion disorder
group of chronic disorders with tendon, muscle, joint, and nerve damage caused by prolonged periods of pressure, vibration, or repetitive movements
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) arthr/o (joint) -itis (inflammation0
arthritis with swelling, stiffness, pain, and degeneration of cartilage in joints caused by chronic soft tissue inflammation; may result in crippling deformities; an autoimmune disease
rotator cuff injury
rotator cuff is the elastic capsule around the shoulder joint; reinforced by tendons of several shoulder muscles; because shoulder is so loose and flexible, it is at high risk for rotator cuff tearing; may be caused by overuse or trauma
scoliosis
scoli/o (crooked)
-osis (abnormal condition)
abnormal lateral curvature of spine
spasm
sudden, involuntary, strong muscle contraction
spina bifida
birth defect that occurs when vertebra fails to fully form around spinal cord; ranges from mild to severe; if spinal cord is damaged, some degree of paralysis results
spiral fracture
bone break in which fracture line spirals around shaft of the bone; caused by twisting injury; often slower to heal than other types of fractures
sprain
ligament injury from overstretching, but without joint dislocation of bone fracture
strain
damage to the muscle or tendons from overuse or overstretching
stress fracture
a slight bone break caused by repetitive low-impact forces, such as running, rather than single forceful impact
torticollis
neck spasms severe enough to pull head to one side; commonly call wryneck or crick in the neck
total hip arthroplasty (THA)
arthr/o (joint)
-plasty (surgicial repair)
surgical reconstruction of hip with artificial hip joint; also called total hip replacement (THR)
total knee arthroplasty (TKA)
arthr/o (joint)
-plasty (surgicial repair)
surgical reconstruction of knoe joint with artificial know joint; also called total knee replacement (TKR)
transverse fracture
bone break with fracture line straight across shaft of bone
