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A [back to top]
adhesions - abnormal bands of tissue that grow between joint surfaces, restricting motion.
allodynia - pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain
alpha interferon - a type of protein produced by the body in response to an infection.
analgesia - absence of pain in response to stimulation that would normally be painful.
antibody - a special protein produced by the body’s immune system that recognizes and helps fight infectious agents and other foreign substances that invade the body.
arthralgia - pain in a joint, usually due to arthritis or arthropathy.
arthritis - inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and sometimes change in structure.
arthroplasty - total joint replacement.
arthroscopy - a surgical procedure used to visualize, diagnose, and treat problems inside a joint.
atrophy - wasting away of a body part or tissue.
B [back to top]
benign - non-cancerous; mild disease or condition that is not life threatening.
bone - living tissue that makes up the body's skeleton.
bursa - a sac filled with fluid located between a bone and a tendon or muscle.
C [back to top]
cancellous tissue - the sponge-like tissue inside bones.
cartilage - a smooth material that covers bone ends of a joint to cushion the bone and allow the joint to move easily without pain.
compact tissue - the harder, outer tissue of bones.
contusion - a bruise caused by a blow to the muscle, tendon or ligament; caused when blood pools around the injury and discolors the skin.
corticosteroids - potent anti-inflammatory hormones that are made naturally in the body or synthetically for use as drugs; also called glucocorticoids. Most commonly prescribed drug of this type is prednisone.
CT (computed tomography) - a specialized x-ray study that allows careful evaluation of the bone and spinal canal.
E [back to top]
EMG (electromyogram) - a test to evaluate nerve and muscle function.
F [back to top]
femur - thighbone.
I [back to top]
immune system - complex network of specialized cells and organs that work together to defend the body against attacks by "foreign" invaders such as bacteria and viruses; in some rheumatic conditions, it appears that the immune system does not function properly and may even work against the body.
incidence - statistic that equals the number of new cases of a particular disease that occur in a population during a defined period of time, usually one year.
inflammation - characteristic reaction of tissues to injury or disease marked by four signs: swelling, redness, heat, and pain.
J [back to top]
joint - where the ends of two or more bones meet.
L [back to top]
ligaments - body tissue that connects the bones and keeps joints stable.
M [back to top]
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) - a non x-ray study to allow an evaluation of the spinal cord and nerve roots.
musculoskeletal system - the complex system that includes bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and nerves.
myelogram - an x-ray study that uses an injection of a dye or contrast material into the spinal canal to allow careful evaluation of the spinal canal and nerve roots.
N [back to top]
neuralgia - pain in distribution of nerve or nerves.
neuritis - inflammation of a nerve or nerves.
NSAID - abbreviation for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which do not contain corticosteroids and are used to reduce pain and inflammation. Aspirin and ibuprofen are two NSAIDs.
O [back to top]
osteoblast - cell found in bone; its function is to form the tissue and minerals that give bone its strength.
osteoclast - very large cell formed in bone marrow; its function is to absorb and remove unwanted tissue.
osteocyte - cell found within the bone; its function is to help maintain bone as living tissue.
P [back to top]
pain - an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience primarily associated with tissue damage.
pain threshold or pain tolerance level - the least experience of pain that a person can recognize.
pelvis - a basin-shaped structure that supports the spinal column and contains the sacrum, coccyx, hip bones (ilium, pubis, and ischium).
periosteum - the compact and cancellous tissues of bone together; beneath the hard outer shell of the periosteum, blood and lymphatic run through tunnels and canals to carry nourishment for the bone. Muscles, ligaments, and tendons may attach to the periosteum.
prevalence - statistic that equals the total number of people in a population with a certain disease at a given time.
R [back to top]
range of motion - measurement of the extent to which a joint can go through all its normal spectrum of movements.
S [back to top]
soft-tissue - generally, the ligaments, tendons, and muscles in the musculoskeletal system.
somatosensory - refers to sensory signals from all tissues of the body including skin, organs, muscles, and joints.
sprain - a partial or complete tear of a ligament.
strain - a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon.
stress fractures - a bone injury caused by overuse.
subchondral tissue - the smooth tissue at the ends of bones, which is covered with another type of tissue called cartilage.
synovitis - inflammation of the synovial membrane, the tissue that lines and protects the joint.
synovium - a fibrous envelope that produces a fluid to help to reduce friction and wear in a joint.
systemic - disease or symptoms that affect many different parts of the body.
T [back to top]
tendinitis - inflammation in a tendon or in the tendon covering. Usually caused by not just a single injury, but a series of small stresses that repeatedly aggravate the tendon.
tendon - a cord that connects muscle to bone or other tissue.
tibia - shin bone.
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