Chapter 4: Muscular System - Medical Terminology

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical terminology, muscle types, movements, naming conventions, pathology, diagnostic procedures, and treatments from Chapter 4: Muscular System.

Musculoskeletal System

The muscular and skeletal systems working jointly to provide the body with form, support, stability, and the ability to move (muscul/o = muscle; skelet/o = skeleton).

Muscle Fibers

Long, slender cells that make up muscles, grouped together and bound by connective tissue.

Fascia

A flexible band of connective tissue that envelops, separates, or binds together muscles or groups of muscles to allow muscle movement.

Myofascial

Pertaining to muscle tissue and fascia (my/o = muscle; fasci = fascia; -al = pertaining to).

Tendon

A narrow band of nonelastic, dense, fibrous connective tissue that attaches a muscle to a bone.

Aponeurosis

A sheet-like fibrous connective tissue resembling a flattened tendon that connects muscles together or to a bone.

Skeletal Muscle

Voluntary, striated muscle tissue used in body movement that contracts and relaxes in response to conscious thought and possesses multiple nuclei showing as bands of color under a microscope.

Smooth Muscle

Involuntary, unstriated muscle tissue (also known as visceral muscle) found in hollow structures like the digestive and urinary systems, controlled by the autonomic nervous system.

Myocardial Muscle

Striated, involuntary muscle tissue forming the heart wall, controlled by the autonomic nervous system; also known as the myocardium or cardiac muscle.

Neuromuscular

Pertaining to the relationship between a nerve and a muscle (neur/o = nerve; muscul/o = muscle; -ar = pertaining to).

Neuromuscular Innervation

The connection between motor neurons and muscle fibers allowing for the transmission of nerve impulses that trigger muscle contraction.

Antagonistic Pairs

Muscles arranged to work in opposition to each other, wherein one muscle contracts (shortening and thickening) while the opposite relaxes (lengthening and thinning).

Muscle Contraction

The tightening of a muscle, causing it to become shorter and thicker and enlarging the belly (center) of the muscle.

Muscle Relaxation

The process where a muscle returns to its original form, becoming longer and thinner so the belly is no longer enlarged.

Abduction

Movement of a limb away from the midline of the body (ab- = away from; duct = lead; -ion = action).

Adduction

Movement of a limb toward the midline of the body (ad- = toward; duct = lead; -ion = action).

Flexion

Decreasing the angle between two bones by bending a limb at a joint (flex = to bend; -ion = action).

Extension

Increasing the angle between two bones by straightening out a limb (ex- = away from; tens = to stretch out; -ion = action).

Hyperextension

The overextension of a limb beyond its normal limit (hyper- = excessive; increased).

Elevation

Raising or lifting of a body part.

Depression

Lowering a body part.

Rotation

Circular movement around an axis.

Circumduction

Circular movement at the far end of a limb.

Rotator Cuff

The group of muscles and their tendons that hold the head of the humerus securely in place as it rotates within the shoulder joint.

Supination

Act of rotating the arm or leg so that the palm of the hand or sole of the foot is turned forward or upward.

Pronation

Act of rotating the arm or leg so that the palm of the hand or sole of the foot is turned downward or backward.

Prone Position

Lying face-down on the stomach.

Supine Position

Lying face-up on the back.

Dorsiflexion

Movement that bends the foot upward at the ankle.

Plantar Flexion

Movement that bends the foot downward at the ankle.

Muscle Origin

The place where the tendon of a muscle attaches to a stationary or nearly stationary bone.

Muscle Insertion

The place where the tendon of a muscle attaches to the bone that moves when the muscle contracts and relaxes.

Sternocleidomastoid Muscle

A neck muscle named for its two points of origin (sternum/breastbone [stern/o] and collarbone [cleid/o]) and one point of insertion (mastoid process).

Flexor Carpi and Extensor Carpi

Muscle pairs named for their action that make flexion (bending) and extension (straightening) of the wrist possible (carp/o = wrist or wrist bones).

Pectoralis Major

A thick, fan-shaped muscle situated on the anterior chest wall named for its location (pectoral = relating to the chest).

Vastus Lateralis

A large muscle toward the outer side of the leg that is part of the quadriceps (lateralis = toward the side; vastus = Latin for 'huge').

Vastus Medialis

A quadriceps muscle situated toward the midline of the leg (medialis = toward the midline).

Oblique Muscle

A muscle with fiber direction that is slanted or positioned at an angle.

Rectus Muscle

A muscle with fiber direction aligned straight with the vertical axis of the body.

Transverse Muscle

A muscle with fibers running in a crosswise direction.

Sphincter

A ring-like muscle that tightly constricts the opening of a passageway (e.g., lower esophageal sphincter, pyloric sphincter).

Biceps Brachii

An anterior arm muscle formed from two divisions (bi- = two; -ceps = head).

Triceps Brachii

A posterior arm muscle formed from three divisions (tri- = three; -ceps = head).

Gluteus Maximus

The largest muscle of the buttock, named for its size (maximus = great or large).

Deltoid Muscle

A triangular-shaped shoulder muscle named after the Greek letter delta.

Hamstrings

A group of posterior thigh muscles named because butchers used them to hang slaughtered pigs.

Exercise Physiologist

A specialist working under the supervision of a physician to develop, implement, and coordinate exercise programs and administer tests to promote fitness.

Occupational Therapist (OT)

A specialist who enables patients to participate in activities of daily life (ADLs), including self-care, education, work, or social interaction.

Physical Therapist (PT)

A specialist who provides treatment to prevent disability or restore function using exercise, heat, massage, or other techniques.

Sports Medicine Physician

A physician specializing in the prevention and treatment of injuries of the bones, joints, and muscles in athletes and active individuals.

Fasciitis

Inflammation of a fascia (fasci/o = fascia; -itis = inflammation).

Fibromyalgia

A chronic condition causing fatigue and pain in fibrous tissue and muscles (fibr/o = fibrous tissue; my/o = muscle; -algia = pain).

Tendonitis

Inflammation of tendons due to overuse (tendon/o = tendon; -itis = inflammation).

Tendinosis

A chronic condition characterized by pain due to repetitive overuse or an injury to a tendon that has not healed.

Adhesion

A band of fibrous tissue holding structures together abnormally.

Atrophy

Weakness or wearing away of body tissues and structures (a- = without or not; troph/o-, -trophy = development, nourishment).

Myalgia

Tenderness or pain in the muscles (my/o- = muscle; -algia = pain).

Hernia

The protrusion of tissue through a weak area in the muscle normally containing it (inguinal hernia being the most common type).

Rhabdomyolysis

A serious syndrome resulting from muscle injury where the death of muscle fibers releases contents into the bloodstream, potentially causing renal failure (rhabdomy/o = striated muscle; -lysis = breakdown).

Sarcopenia

The loss of muscle mass, strength, and function associated with aging (sarc/o = flesh; -penia = deficiency).

Hypotonia

Diminished tone of the skeletal muscles (hypo- = deficient, decreased).

Dystonia

A condition characterized by involuntary and repetitive contractions of muscles (dys- = difficult, bad).

Atonic

Lacking normal muscle tone or strength (a- = without; ton/o- = tension, tone, stretching).

Ataxia

Lack of muscle coordination during voluntary movement (a- = without; tax = coordination).

Contracture

Permanent tightening of fascia, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or skin where elastic connective tissues are replaced by nonelastic fibrous tissues.

Muscle Spasm

Any sudden, involuntary contraction of one or more muscles.

Tic

A repeated muscle spasm, often involving the eyelids or face, that is difficult or impossible to control.

Muscle Cramp

A painful localized muscle spasm often named for its cause, such as writer's cramp or menstrual cramps.

Bradykinesia

Extreme slowness in movement (brady- = slow; kines/o- = movement).

Dyskinesia

Impairment of voluntary movement (dys- = difficult, bad).

Hyperkinesia

Abnormal increased muscle function or activity (hyper- = excessive, increased).

Myasthenia Gravis

A chronic autoimmune disease affecting the neuromuscular junction that produces weakness and rapid fatigue of voluntary muscles, especially in the eye, face, and throat.

Muscular Dystrophy (MD)

A group of 30 genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of skeletal muscles without affecting the nervous system.

Compartment Syndrome

Compression of nerves and blood vessels due to swelling within an enclosed fascia compartment separating muscle groups in an arm or leg.

Trigger Finger

Painful and progressive restriction of finger movement caused by inflammation of a tendon's synovial sheath, named for the snapping sound made during movement.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome

A chronic pain disorder affecting muscles and fascia characterized by trigger points producing local and referred muscle pain.

Impingement Syndrome

A condition (also known as rotator cuff tendinitis) occurring when inflamed and swollen tendons are caught in the narrow space between shoulder bones; commonly called swimmer's or tennis shoulder.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Inflammation and swelling of tendons passing through the carpal tunnel of the wrist causing pressure on the median nerve (carpal = pertaining to the wrist).

Ganglion Cyst

A harmless, fluid-filled swelling occurring commonly on the outer surface of the wrist (derived from ganglion meaning 'knot' or 'swelling').

Epicondylitis

Inflammation of the tissues surrounding the elbow, categorized as lateral (tennis elbow) or medial (golfer's elbow).

Heel Spur

A calcium deposit in the plantar fascia near its attachment to the calcaneus (heel) bone.

Plantar Fasciitis

Inflammation of the plantar fascia on the sole of the foot.

Sprain

An injury to a joint usually due to the wrenching or tearing of a ligament.

Strain

An injury due to overuse involving the stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon attachment.

Shin Splint

An injury occurring when a muscle tears away from the tibia.

Hemiparesis

Weakness or slight paralysis affecting one side of the body (hemi- = half; -paresis = partial or incomplete paralysis).

Hemiplegia

Total paralysis affecting one side of the body (hemi- = half; -plegia = paralysis).

Paraplegia

Paralysis of both legs and the lower part of the body.

Quadriplegia

Paralysis of all four extremities; also known as tetraplegia (quadr/i = four; tetra- = four; -plegia = paralysis).

Deep Tendon Reflexes

Tests performed by striking a tendon with a reflex hammer (such as a knee-jerk test) to determine homeostasis between the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system.

Goniometer

A tool used to measure range-of-motion movements and angles in a joint (goni/o- = angle).

Electromyography (EMG)

A diagnostic test that measures electrical activity within muscle fibers in response to nerve stimulation (electr/o = electricity; my/o = muscle; -graphy = process of producing a record).

Ergonomics

The study of human factors affecting the design and operation of tools and work environments to reduce injuries, strain, and stress.

Myofascial Release

A specialized soft-tissue manipulation technique used to ease pain in fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, TMJ disorders, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

A therapeutic device that delivers electrical impulses through the skin to cause changes in muscles and alleviate pain.