Chapter 8 Orthopedics Muscular System: Anatomy and Physiology

Myalgia

Pain in a muscle due to injury or muscle

disease.

• General category with many causes.

• Polymyalgia is pain in several muscle

groups.

• my/o- = muscle

• -alg/o- = pain

• -ia = condition

Myopathy

General category that includes many different

muscle diseases.

• my/o- = muscle

• -pathy = disease

Myositis

Inflammation of a muscle with localized swelling or

tenderness; caused by injury, strain, or disease.

• Polymyositis involves widespread inflammation

with weakness and fatigue.

Muscle strain

Overstretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon;

also called a pulled muscle

Muscle contusion

Bleeding inside a muscle due to blunt

trauma; also called a bruise.

• contus/o- = bruise

Muscle spasm

Painful but temporary condition in which

a muscle suddenly, severely, and

involuntarily contracts.

• Commonly called a muscle cramp.

• Known as torticollis when it occurs in

the neck.

• tort/i- = twisted position

• -collis = condition of the neck

Atrophy

Loss of bulk in one or more

muscles.

• a- = away from, without

• troph/o- = development

Avulsion

Condition in which a muscle tears

away from a tendon or a tendon

tears away from a bone.

• a- = away from

• vuls/o- = tear

• -ion = condition

Rotator cuff tear

A tear in the rotator muscles of

the shoulder that surround the

humerus; usually occurs from

trauma or repetitive overuse

Compartment

syndrome

Condition in which severe injury

causes bleeding and the fascia acts

as a compartment, holding in

accumulated blood and placing

pressure on surrounding tissues

Contracture

Condition in which a muscle becomes

progressively more flexed and eventually “sticks” in

a nearly immovable position.

Hyperextension‒

hyperflexion

injury

Injury that occurs when a person’s head

snaps backward and then forward in response

to a sudden change in speed.

• Associated with car accidents.

• Involves muscle strain, muscle tear, and/or

nerve damage.

• Also called acceleration–deceleration injury

or whiplash.

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Cancerous tumor of the muscle; usually

found in children and young adults.

• rhabd/o- = rod shaped

• my/o- = muscle

• sarco- = connective tissue

• -oma = mass or tumor

Sarcoma = malignant tumor

Fibromyalgia

Condition associated with pain at specific trigger

points in the muscles of the neck, hips, and back.

• fibr/o- = fiber

• my/o- = muscle

• alg/o- = pain

• -ia = condition

Muscular

dystrophy

(MD)

Group of muscle diseases caused by a mutation in

the gene for the protein dystrophin.

• Without dystrophin, muscles progressively

weaken and atrophy.

• Most common form is Duchenne’s muscular

dystrophy

• dys- = abnormal

• -trophy = process of development

Myasthenia

gravis

Autoimmune disorder in which the body

produces antibodies against acetylcholine

receptors on the muscle fibers.

• Destruction of receptors causes abnormal,

rapid muscle fatigue.

• Weakness worsens during the day but is

relieved by rest.

Ataxia

Incoordination of the muscles during movement,

especially when walking

Bradykinesia

Abnormally slow muscle

movements or a decrease

in the number of

spontaneous movements;

usually associated with

Parkinson disease.

• brady- = slow

• kines/o- = movement

• -ia = condition

Dyskinesia

Abnormal motions that occur

because of difficulty

controlling the voluntary

muscles; may include tics,

spasms, jerking, or slow

writhing of the hands.

• dys- = abnormal

• kines/o- = movement

• -ia = condition

Hyperkinesis

An abnormally increased

amount of muscle

movements

Restless legs

syndrome

Uncomfortable restlessness and twitching of the

leg muscles along with tingling, aching, or

crawling-insect sensations; usually occurs at night.

Possible cause: Imbalance in brain dopamine

levels

Tremor

Small, involuntary, back-and-forth movements of

the hands, head, jaw, or extremities that are

continuous and cannot be controlled

Tendinitis

Inflammation of any tendon due

to injury or overuse

Bursitis

Inflammation of the bursal sac

due to repetitive muscle

contractions or pressure on the

bone underneath the bursa

Fasciitis

Inflammation of the fascia around a muscle;

frequently affects the bottom of the foot (plantar

fasciitis).

• fasci/o- = fascia

• -itis = infection of or inflammation of

Ganglion

Semisolid or fluid-containing cyst that grows on a

tendon; appears as a rounded lump that may or

may not be painful

Dupuytren

contracture

Progressive disease in which thickening and

shortening of the fascia in the palm causes a

contracture and flexion deformity of the

finger (see image below)

Repetitive

strain injury

(RSI)

Injury to muscles, tendons, and/or

nerves resulting from repetitive

movements over an extended

period of time; also called

cumulative trauma disorder

Shin splints

Pain and inflammation of the

tendons and flexor muscles over

the shin bone due to overuse

Epicondylitis

Inflammation of muscles and tendons that originate

on the bone protrusion on either side of the distal

humerus.

• Lateral epicondylitis is also called tennis elbow.

• Medial epicondylitis is also called golfer’s

elbow or pitcher’s elbow

Acetylcholine

receptor

antibody test

Test that detects antibodies that the body

produces against its own acetylcholine

receptors; used to diagnose myasthenia gravis

Electromyography

(EMG)

Procedure in which a needle electrode is

inserted into a muscle to record the electrical

activity of the muscle as it contracts and

relaxes; used to diagnose muscle or nerve

disease.

• electr/o- = electricity

• my/o- = muscle

• -graphy = process of recording

Deep tendon

reflexes

Procedure that tests whether the muscular–nervous

pathway is functioning normally.

• Most commonly performed at the knee.

• Tapping briskly on the tendon should cause

involuntary contraction of the muscle.

• Also known as the knee-jerk test or patellar reflex

test.

Muscle strength test

Procedure in which the physician presses

against some part of a patient’s body and

asks the patient to move that part;

muscle strength is rated on a scale of 0

to 5.

Rehabilitation

exercises

Exercises included in a physical therapy

rehabilitation plan to help increase

muscle strength and improve

coordination and balance.

• In active exercise, the patient moves

without help.

• In passive exercise, a therapist or

nurse performs range-of-motion

(ROM) exercises for a patient who is

unable to do the movements.

RICE treatment for

minor injuries

Standard advice for treating muscle

sprains and soft tissue injuries to

prevent further injury and swelling.

• R = rest

• I = ice

• C = compression bandage

• E = elevate

Trigger point injections

Procedure to treat fibromyalgia in

which a local anesthetic and a

corticosteroid are injected into a

patient’s trigger points to decrease

pain and inflammation

Brace

Orthopedic device that supports and straightens

a body part while still permitting movement; also

called an orthosis

Adaptive or

assistive device

Device that increases mobility and

independence by helping the patient perform

activities of daily living (ADLs)

Fasciectomy

Procedure to partially or totally remove the

fascia; used to treat Dupuytren contracture

Fasciotomy

Procedure to cut the fascia and release

pressure from built-up blood and tissue in a

patient with compartment syndrome

Ganglionectomy

Procedure to remove a ganglion from a

tendon.

Muscle biopsy

Procedure to diagnose potential causes

of muscle weakness; involves removing a

small amount of muscle tissue via

incision or needle aspiration and sending

it for microscopic analysis

Myorrhaphy

Procedure to suture together a torn muscle after

an injury

Tenorrhaphy

Procedure to suture together a torn tendon after

an injury.

• ten/o- = tendon

• -rrhaphy = procedure of suturing

Analgesics

Treat muscle pain; may be over-the-counter or

prescription, depending on pain length and

severity.

an- = without

alges/o- = sensation of pain

Beta-blockers

Help relieve tremors by blocking the action of

epinephrine

Corticosteroids

Decrease severe inflammation; given orally or

injected into the muscle or fascia

Dopamine

stimulants

Treat restless legs syndrome by stimulating

dopamine receptors

Drugs for

fibromyalgia

Include medications to relieve pain, relax

muscles, and affect calcium channels in skeletal

muscle.

Drugs for

myasthenia gravis

Work by inhibiting the enzyme that breaks

down acetylcholine; this allows the

acetylcholine to continue stimulating

remaining muscle receptors

Muscle relaxants

Relieve muscle spasm and stiffness; used to

treat muscle injuries and neurologic diseases

such as multiple sclerosis and cerebral

palsy.

Nonsteroidal anti-

inflammatory

drugs (NSAIDs)

Decrease mild-to-moderate inflammation

and pain; used to treat minor injuries, muscle

strains, tendinitis, bursitis, and muscle

overuse.

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act

ADLs

activities of daily living

CPK-MM

creatine phosphokinase-MM

DTRs

deep tendon reflexes

EMG

electromyogram; electromyography

IM

intramuscular

LLE

left lower extremity

LUE

left upper extremity

MD

muscular dystrophy

NSAID

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

ortho

orthopedics (short form)

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health

Administration

OT

occupational therapist; occupational therapy

PM&R

physical medicine and rehabilitation

PT

physical therapist; physical therapy

rehab

rehabilitation (short form)

RICE

rest, ice, compression, and elevation

RLE

right lower extremity

ROM

range of motion

RSI

repetitive strain injury

RUE

right upper extremity