| abduction |
moving a limb or body part away from the midline |
| acetabulum |
hip socket |
| achondroplasia |
failure in the development of cartilage (a type of dwarfism) |
| adactyly |
absence of the fingers |
| adduction |
moving a limb or body part toward the midline |
| agonist |
the "prime mover": the muscle primarily responsible for the movement being studied |
| amphiarthrotic |
slightly moveable joint |
| analgesic |
drug that reduces pain |
| ankylosing |
causing to be stiff |
| ankylosis |
a disease that makes bones or joints stiff |
| antagonist |
a muscle that opposes the action of the agonist |
| antiarthritic |
drug that reduces the symptoms of arthritis |
| anti-inflammatory |
drug that reduces inflammation |
| antipyretic |
drug that reduces fever |
| apophysis |
outgrowth or protuberance on a bone |
| appendicular |
part of the skeleton that is attached to the axial skeleton (i.e. the upper and lower extremities) |
| arthralgia |
pain in the joints |
| arthrectomy |
surgical removal of a joint |
| arthrocentesis |
puncture of a joint to remove fluid |
| arthroscope |
device for examining the inside of a joint |
| arthrodesis |
disease process binding a joint together |
| arthrodynia |
pain in the joints |
| arthrodysplasia |
bad formation of a joint |
| arthrogram |
picture of a joint |
| arthrography |
process for visualizing a joint |
| arthropathy |
disease in a joint |
| arthroplasty |
surgical modification of a joint |
| arthroscopic |
pertaining to examination of a joint using an arthroscope |
| arthrotomy |
cutting into a joint |
| articular |
having to do with joints |
| ataxia |
inability to walk |
| atrophy |
failure to develop, or loss of a structure, due to lack of nourishment |
| axial |
pertaining to the center of the body (cf. appendicular) |
| bradykinesia |
slow movement |
| bursa |
"purse"; a bag of synovial fluid that cushions a ligament or tendon that would otherwise rub against a bone |
| bursectomy |
surgical removal of a bursa |
| bursitis |
inflammation of a bursa |
| bursotomy |
cutting into a bursa |
| carpal |
pertaining to the wrist bones |
| carpectomy |
surgical removal of a wrist bone |
| carpitis |
inflammation of a wrist bone |
| cervical |
pertaining to the neck |
| cervicitis |
inflammation of the neck |
| cervicodynia |
pain in the neck |
| chondritis |
inflammation of the cartilage |
| chondrodynia |
pain in the cartilage |
| chondroma |
tumor in the cartilage |
| chondromalacia |
softening of the cartilage |
| chondroplasty |
surgical modification of cartilage |
| circumduction |
movement in a circle around a joint |
| condyle |
knob on a bone |
| costal |
pertaining to a rib |
| costalgia |
pain in a rib |
| costectomy |
surgical removal of a rib |
| costochondritis |
inflammation of the rib and associated cartilage |
| craniectomy |
surgical removal of a piece of the skull |
| craniomalacia |
softening of the skull |
| craniometer |
device for measuring the skull |
| craniosynostosis |
disease where the skull bones of a child fuse too soon after birth |
| craniotomy |
cutting into the skull |
| crepitation |
crackling noise in the joints |
| dactylalgia |
pain in the fingers |
| dactylitis |
inflammation of the fingers |
| diaphysis |
the shaft of a long bone |
| diarthrotic |
freely moveable joint |
| dyskinesia |
trouble with movement |
| dysplasia |
malformation of a structure |
| dystaxia |
trouble with walking |
| dystonia |
trouble with muscle tone (strength) |
| eccentric |
force applied to a muscle as it is getting longer |
| effusion |
the process of fluid leaking out of a structure |
| electromyogram |
record of the electrical activity of a muscle |
| electromyography |
obtaining a record of the electrical activity of a muscle |
| endochondral |
occurring inside of cartilage (refers to a type of bone development) |
| endomysium |
the innermost connective tissue sheath of a muscle |
| epimysium |
the outermost connective tissue sheath of a muscle |
| epiphysis |
the ends of a long bone (distal epiphysis or proximal epiphysis) |
| epicondyle |
a bump next to a knob on a bone |
| exostosis |
abnormal bone growth in the small ear bones (ossicles) |
| extension |
increasing the angle of a joint |
| facet |
a flattish surface on a bone where a joint articulates (it is supposedly similar to the flat surface of a cut jewel) |
| fascia |
band of connective tissue |
| fasciectomy |
removal of a fascia |
| fasciitis |
inflammation of a fascia |
| fascioplasty |
surgical modification of fascia |
| fasciorrhaphy |
surgical repair of a fascia |
| fasciotomy |
cutting into a fascia |
| femoral |
pertaining to the thigh |
| fissure |
a deep crack |
| fixation |
locking into place |
| flexion |
reducing the angle of a joint |
| foramen |
hole in a bone |
| fossa |
shallow groove in a bone |
| fracture |
breaking a bone |
| genu |
knee |
| glenoid |
the socket of the shoulder joint |
| gomphosis |
the joint between a tooth and the jaw |
| graphospasm |
writer's cramp |
| hallux |
the big toe |
| hemarthrosis |
blood in a joint |
| hematopoiesis |
the process of blood cell formation in the bone marrow |
| hydrarthrosis |
water (excess fluid) in a joint |
| hypercalcemia |
abnormally high calcium in the blood |
| hyperextension |
abnormal or excessive increase in the angle of a joint |
| hyperkinesia |
abnormally high movement |
| hypertonia |
abnormally high muscle tone (strength) |
| hypertrophy |
abnormal growth of tissue |
| hypocalcemia |
abnormally low calcium in the blood |
| hypokinesia |
abnormally low movement |
| hypophyseal |
pertaining to the tissue underneath the brain (i.e. the pituitary gland) |
| hypophysis |
the pituitary gland |
| hypotonia |
abnormally low muscle tone (strength) |
| infraspinatus |
a muscle or space below the spine of the scapula |
| intercostal |
between the ribs |
| interosseous |
band of connective tissue between the radius and ulna or between the tibia and fibula |
| intramembranous |
occurring within a membrane (refers to a type of bone development) |
| isometric |
force applied to a muscle without a change in muscle length |
| kinesiology |
the study of movement |
| kinetic |
pertaining to motion |
| kyphosis |
"hunchback": a bend in the spine that results in a visible bump in the upper back |
| lacrimal |
pertaining to crying or tears |
| lamella |
thin plate |
| ligament |
a band of connective tissue connecting bone to bone |
| lordosis |
"swayback": a bend in the spine that results in a pronounced hollow space above the buttocks |
| lumbar |
lower back |
| lumbodynia |
pain in the lower back |
| meatus |
tube or passage |
| medullary |
pertaining to the center of a multilayered organ (in this case, the bone marrow) |
| metacarpal |
the bones between the wrist and fingers |
| metacarpectomy |
surgical removal of a metacarpal |
| metaphysis |
transition between the end and the shaft of a long bone |
| metatarsalgia |
pain in the bones between the ankle and toes |
| metatarsals |
the bones between the ankle and toes |
| musculoskeletal |
pertaining to the muscles and bones |
| myalgia |
pain in the muscles |
| myasthenia |
disease of muscle weakness |
| myectomy |
surgical removal of a muscle |
| myoclonus |
involuntary muscle twitch |
| myodynia |
pain in a muscle |
| myofasciitis |
inflammation of a muscle and its associated connective tissue |
| myography |
obtaining a record of the contraction of a muscle |
| myolysis |
breakdown of muscle |
| myoma |
tumor derived from muscle |
| myomalacia |
softening of muscle |
| myomectomy |
removal of a tumor derived from muscle (in the uterine wall) |
| myoplasty |
surgical modification of a muscle |
| myorrhaphy |
surgical repair of a muscle |
| myosarcoma |
cancer derived from muscle tissue |
| myosclerosis |
hardening of muscle |
| myositis |
inflammation of muscle |
| myospasm |
involuntary contraction of muscle |
| myotomy |
cutting into a muscle |
| neuromuscular |
pertaining to the nervous system and muscles |
| occipital |
skull bone at the back of the head, next to (and attaches to) the cervical spine |
| orthotic |
device to straighten the foot or leg |
| ossification |
the process of making bone |
| ostalgia |
pain in the bones |
| ostectomy |
surgical removal of a bone |
| osteitis |
inflammation of a bone |
| osteoarthritis |
inflammation of bones and the joint formed by those bones |
| osteoblast |
rapidly dividing cell of bone (responsible for bone formation) |
| osteocarcinoma |
cancer derived from bone tissue |
| osteochondritis |
inflammation of bone and its associated cartilage |
| osteochondroma |
a tumor derived from bone and cartilage |
| osteoclasia |
abnormal breakdown of bone |
| osteoclast |
cell which breaks down bone |
| osteodynia |
pain in a bone |
| osteogenesis |
the process of forming bone |
| osteolysis |
the process of breaking down bone |
| osteomalacia |
abnormal softening of bone |
| osteomyelitis |
inflammation of the bone marrow |
| osteon |
microscopic anatomical unit of bone |
| osteopathy |
disease of the bone |
| osteopenia |
abnormal reduction in bone tissue (sign of osteoporosis) |
| osteoplasty |
surgical modfication of a bone |
| osteoporosis |
disease resulting in an abnormal number of holes in bone |
| osteonecrosis |
death of bone tissue |
| osteosarcoma |
cancerous tumor derived from bone tissue |
| osteosclerosis |
hardening of bone |
| pectoral |
pertaining to the chest |
| pelvis |
bone of the lower abdomen (hip bone) which results from the fusion of six bones (three on each side) |
| perimysium |
a connective tissue sheath of muscle that surrounds a bundle of muscle fibers (fascia) |
| periosteum |
membrane surrounding the bone |
| phalanges |
fingers and toes |
| pollex |
the thumb |
| polydactyly |
too many fingers (i.e. more than five on a hand) |
| polymyositis |
inflammation of many muscles |
| pronation |
turning the back of the hand facing forward; lying face down |
| rhabdomyolysis |
abnormal breakdown of skeletal muscle |
| sarcolemma |
the cell membrane surrounding a muscle cell |
| sarcomere |
repeating microscopic anatomical unit of striated muscle |
| sarcoplasm |
cytoplasm of a muscle cell |
| scoliosis |
abnormal curvature of the vertebrae (side-to-side curvature) |
| sphincter |
band of muscle surrounding an opening |
| spine |
bones of the back; vertebrae |
| spondylitis |
inflammation of the vertebrae |
| spondyloarthropathy |
disease of the joints between vertebrae |
| spondylodynia |
pain in the vertebrae |
| spondylolisthesis |
abnormal slippage of the vertebrae past one another |
| spondylolysis |
abnormal breakdown of the vertebrae |
| spondylomalacia |
abnormal softening of the vertebrae |
| spondylosis |
disease of the vertebrae |
| sprain |
injury to ligaments |
| stenosis |
abnormal narrowing of an opening |
| sternotomy |
cutting into the sternum (breastbone) |
| sternum |
breastbone; bone that ribs attach to |
| strain |
injury to a muscle or its tendon |
| subluxation |
dislocation of a joint |
| sulcus |
groove in a muscle |
| supination |
turning the palm of the hand facing forward; lying face up |
| synarthrotic |
immovable joint |
| syncytium |
cells which join together to make a large, multinucleated cell (as in skeletal muscle) |
| syndactyly |
abnormal joining of fingers |
| synergist |
muscle which aids an agonist muscle in its normal function |
| talipes equinovarus |
clubfoot |
| tarsal |
pertaining to the ankle |
| tarsalgia |
pain in the ankle |
| tarsectomy |
surgical removal of a tarsal bone |
| tarsitis |
inflammation of the ankle |
| tarsoclasia |
breakdown of an ankle bone |
| tarsoptosis |
condition of tarsal bones sagging; "flat feet" or "fallen arches" |
| tenalgia |
pain in a tendon |
| tendectomy |
surgical removal of a tendon |
| tendinitis |
inflammation of a tendon |
| tendodesis |
tendons bound together by a disease process |
| tendolysis |
breakdown of a tendon |
| tendon |
a band of connective tissue connecting muscle to bone |
| tendonitis |
inflammation of a tendon |
| tendoplasty |
surgical modification of a tendon |
| tenodynia |
pain in a tendon |
| tenolysis |
breakdown of a tendon |
| tenoplasty |
surgical modification of a tendon |
| tenorrhaphy |
surgical repair of a tendon |
| tenotomy |
cutting into a tendon |
| thoracic |
pertaining to the chest |
| tibia |
bone of the lower extremity; larger of the two leg bones |
| tibialgia |
pain in the tibia |
| tomography |
technique using low-dose X-rays from many angles to visualize a body part |
| tonograph |
record of muscle contraction |
| torticollis |
abnormal contraction of the neck on one side |
| trochanter |
prominent knob on the femur (bone of the thigh) which forms from the attachment of muscles |
| trochlea |
"pulley": bony structure which acts or looks like a pulley |
| tubercle |
small bump on bone ("little potato") |
| tuberosity |
bump on bone |
| valgum |
abnormally close knees (genu valgum = "knock-knees") |
| varum |
abnormally distant knees (genu varum = "bow-legged") |
| vertebra |
bone of the spinal column |
| zygomatic |
bone of the face |
