Med Term Quiz 2

Abduction

Moving the limb or hand laterally away from the body, or spreading the fingers or toes.

Adduction

Movement that brings the limb or hand toward or across the midline of the body, or brings the fingers or toes together.

Amphiarthrosis

A slightly mobile joint.

Ankylosis

Fixation and immobility of a joint.

Appendicular skeleton

All bones of the upper and lower limbs, plus the girdle bones that attach each limb to the axial skeleton.

Arthralgia

Joint pain.

Arthritis

Chronic inflammation of the synovial joints.

Arthrocentesis

Surgical puncture to aspirate fluid from a joint.

Arthrodesis

Surgical fixation of a joint.

Arthrography

Process of recording a joint.

Arthroplasty

Joint replacement surgery.

Arthroscopy

Process of viewing a joint using an endoscope.

Articulations

Where two bone surfaces meet.

Autoimmune diseases/disorders

Disorders in which the immune system overreacts and begins to attack itself.

Axial skeleton

The central, vertical axis of the body, including the skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage.

Bradykinesia

Condition of slow movement.

Bursitis

Inflammation of a bursa near a joint.

Chondromalacia

Degeneration of cartilage.

Chronic

A condition that lasts a long time with periods of remission and exacerbation.

Craniotomy

An operation in which a piece of the skull is removed.

Diarthrosis

Freely mobile joints.

Diskectomy

Excision of the intervertebral disk.

Discitis

Inflammation of the intervertebral disk.

Dyskinesia

Abnormal involuntary movements of the extremities, trunk, or jaw.

Edema

Swelling due to excessive liquid in the tissues.

Eversion

Foot movement in which the bottom of the foot is turned laterally, away from the midline.

Extension

Movement in the sagittal plane that increases the angle of a joint (straightens the joint).

Flexion

Movement in the sagittal plane that decreases the angle of a joint (bends the joint).

Hematopoiesis

The production of blood cells.

Hyperkinesia

Excessive movement of muscles of the body as a whole.

Hypertrophy

The enlargement of muscles.

Inversion

Foot movement in which the bottom of the foot is turned toward the midline.

Kyphosis

An excessive posterior curvature of the thoracic region; also called humpback.

Lordosis

Excessive anterior curvature of the lumbar vertebral column region; also called swayback.

Lumbar

Pertaining to the lumbar region of the spine (L1 to L5).

Lumbosacral

Pertaining to the region of the back that includes the lumbar vertebrae, sacrum, and nearby structures.

Muscular dystrophy

A general term for the group of inherited myopathies that are characterized by wasting and weakness of the skeletal muscle.

Osteitis

Inflammation of bone.

Osteoarthritis

The most common type of arthritis; associated with aging and "wear and tear" of the articular cartilage.

Osteoblast

The cell responsible for forming new bone.

Osteochondritis

Inflammation of bone and cartilage.

Osteocyte

Bone cell.

Osteomalacia

A softening of adult bones due to Vitamin D deficiency.

Osteomyelitis

Inflammation of bone and bone marrow.

Osteonecrosis

Abnormal condition of bone death (lack of blood supply).

Osteopenia

Abnormally low bone mass or bone mineral density.

Osteopetrosis

Abnormal condition of porous bones.

Osteoporosis

A disease characterized by a decrease in bone mass that occurs when the rate of bone resorption exceeds the rate of bone formation.

Osteosarcoma

Malignant tumor of bone.

Pelvic

Pertaining to the pelvis.

Pronation

Forearm motion that moves the palm of the hand from the palm forward to the palm backward position.

Rotation

Movement of a bone around a central axis or around its long axis.

Sarcopenia

Age-related muscle atrophy.

Scoliosis

Lateral curvature of the spine.

Spondyloarthritis

Inflammation of the joints of the spine.

Spondylosis

A degenerative spinal disease that can involve any part of the vertebra, intervertebral disk, and surrounding soft tissue.

Supination

Forearm motion that moves the palm of the hand from the palm backward to the palm forward position.

Synarthrosis

An immobile or nearly immobile joint.

Synovectomy

Excision of the synovial membrane.

Synovial sarcoma

Malignant tumor of the synovial membrane.

Tendinitis

Inflammation of the tendon.

Tenosynovitis

Inflammation of the synovial membrane of a tendon.

Vertebroplasty

A procedure used to repair a bone in the spine that has a break caused by cancer, osteoporosis, or trauma.

Antagonistic

In opposition to each other.

Bradykinesia

Condition of slow movement.

Cardiac muscle

Involuntary and found only in the heart. Highly coordinated contractions pump blood into the vessels of the circulatory system.

Dyskinesia

Abnormal involuntary movements of the extremities, trunk, or jaw.

Electromyogram

Record of the electricity of the muscle.

Electromyography (EMG)

Recording of muscle electrical activity in response to a nerve's stimulation of the muscle.

Fibromyalgia

A common nonarticular rheumatic syndrome characterized by muscle pain.

Hemiplegia

Paralysis on one side of the body.

Hemostasis

The process by which the body seals a ruptured blood vessel to prevent further blood loss.

Hyperkinesia

Excessive movement of muscles of the body as a whole.

Hypertrophy

The enlargement of muscles.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A procedure in which radio waves and a powerful magnet linked to a computer are used to create detailed pictures of areas inside the body.

Muscular dystrophy

A general term for the group of inherited myopathies that are characterized by wasting and weakness of the skeletal muscle.

Myalgia

Pain in a muscle or group of muscles.

Myasthenia Gravis

A disease in which antibodies made by a person's immune system prevent certain nerve-muscle interactions, causing weakness in the arms and legs, vision problems, and drooping eyelids or head.

Myeloma

Cancer that arises in plasma cells.

Paraplegia

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

Paresis

Partial paralysis wherein there is still some control of the muscles.

Polymyositis

An inflammatory disease of the muscles closest to the center of the body.

Quadriplegia

Paralysis of all four limbs.

Rhabdomyolysis

Necrosis or disintegration of skeletal muscle.

Skeletal muscle

The muscles responsible for voluntary muscle movement; also called striated muscle.

Smooth muscle

The muscles responsible for involuntary muscle movement; also called visceral muscle.

Sprain

The stretching or tearing of the supporting ligaments.

Strain

An overstretching or overexertion of a muscle or tendon.

Tendinitis

Inflammation of the tendon.

Afferent nerves

Nerves that carry sensory signals (nerve impulses) toward the central nervous from the periphery.

Aphasia

Loss of language function.

Arachnoid mater

Middle layer of the meninges named for the spider-web-like trabeculae that extend between it and the pia mater.

Astrocyte

Glial cell type of the central nervous system that provides support for neurons and maintains the blood-brain barrier.

Autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Functional division of the nervous system that is responsible for homeostatic reflexes that coordinate control of cardiac and smooth muscle, as well as glandular tissue.

Axon

Single process of the neuron that carries an electrical signal (action potential) away from the cell body toward a target cell.

Axon hillock

Tapering of the neuron cell body that gives rise to the axon.

Axon segment

Single stretch of the axon insulated by myelin and bounded by nodes of Ranvier at either end (except for the first, which is after the initial segment, and the last, which is followed by the axon terminal).

Axon terminal

End of the axon, where there are usually several branches extending toward the target cell.

Axoplasm

Cytoplasm of an axon, which is different in composition than the cytoplasm of the neuronal cell body.

Babinski sign

Dorsiflexion of the foot with extension and splaying of the toes in response to the plantar reflex, normally suppressed by corticospinal input.