Chapter 6: Related Clinical Terms

achondroplasia

a congenital condition involving defective cartilage and endochondral bone growth so that the limbs are too short but the membrane bones are of normal size, a type of dwarfism.

bony spur

abnormal projection from a bone due to bony overgrowth; common in aging bones.

ostealgia

pain in a bone

osteitis

inflammation of bony tissue

osteogenesis imperfecta

also called brittle bone disease, a disorder in which the bone matrix contains inadequate collage, putting it at risk for shattering.

osteomyelitis

inflammation of bone and bone marrow caused by pus-forming bacteria that enter the body via a wound or spread from an infection near the bone. Commonly affects the long bones, causing acute pain and fever. May result in joint stiffness, bone destruction and shortening of a limb. treatment involves antibiotics, draining any abscesses and removing dead bone fragments.

osteosarcoma

a form of bone cancer typically arising in a long bone of a limb and most often in those 10-25 years of age. grows aggressively, painfully eroding the bones; tends to metastasize to the lungs and cause secondary lung tumors.

pathologic fracture

fracture in a diseased bone involving slight (coughing or a quick turn) or no physical trauma.

traction

placing sustained tension on a body region to keep the parts of a fractured bone in proper alignment. also prevents spasms of skeletal muscles, which would separate the fractured bone ends or crush the spinal cord in the case of vertebral column fractures.