Med Term - Musculoskeletal System

Long bones (Ex: femur, humerus)

Longer than wide

Short bones (Ex: carpals, tarsals)

Roughly as long as wide

Flat bones (EX: sternum, scapula, pelvis)

Plate shaped

Irregular bones (Ex: vertebrae)

Shape very irregular

head

large smooth ball shaped end of a long bone

condyle

smooth rounded portion at the end of bone

epicondyle

projection above or on a condyle

trochanter

large rough process

tubercle

small rough process

tuberosity

large rough process

sinus

hollow cavity within bone

foramen

smooth opening for nerves and blood vessels

fossa

shallow cavity or depression within a bone

fissure

a slit like opening

arthraligia

joint pain

bursitis

inflammation of a bursa

callus

mass of a bone tissue that forms at fracture site during healing

chondromalacia

softening of the cartilage

crepitation

noise produced by bones or cartilage rubbing together

ostealgia

bone pain

synovitis

inflammation of synovial membrane

closed fracture

fracture with no open skin wound; also called simple fracture

comminuted fracture

fracture where bone is shattered, splintered, or crushed

compound fracture

fracture with an open skin wound; also called an open fracture

compression fracture

fracture with loss of height in vertebral body; often from osteoporosis

fracture (FX, Fx)

broken bone

greenstick fracture

incomplete break; one side of bone is broken, the other is bent; common in children

imparted fraction

bone fragments are pushed into each other

oblique fraction

fracture at an angle to bone

pathologic fracture

fracture caused by diseased or weakened bone

spiral fracture

fracture line spirals around shaft of bone; often slower to heal

stress fracture

slight fracture caused by repetitive low impact forces like running

transverse fracture

fracture straight across bone

avascular necrosis

abnormal condition of decay or death of bone

chondroma

tumor in cartilage; usually benign

Ewing’s sarcoma

cancerous tumor of shaft of long bones; spreads through periosteum; amputation is necessary to prevent metastasis

exostosis

bone spur

osteochondroma

tumor; usually benign consisting of both bone and cartilage tissue

osteogenic sarcoma

most common type of bone cancer; begins in osteocytes

osteoma

tumor found in bone tissue

osteomalacia

softening of bones caused by calcium deficiency; caused in children by insufficient sunlight and vitamin D

osteomyelitis

inflammation of the bone and bone marrow

osteopathy

general term for bone disease

osteopenia

abnormal decrease in bone mass

osteophyte

a type of exostosis; this bony growth is usually found within a joint capsule

osteoporosis

decrease in bone mass; resulting in thinning and weakening of bones; porous bone easily fractures

Paget disease

metabolic disease of bone; unknown cause; results in bone destruction and deformity

rickets

caused by calcium and vitamin D deficiency; results in bone deformities like bowed legs

ankylosing spondylitis

inflammatory condition resembles rheumatoid arthritis; gradual stiffening and fusion of vertebrae

herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP)

protrusion of an intervertebral disk; also called ruptured disc

kyphosis

abnormal increase in curve of thoracic spine; humpback

lordosis

abnormal increase in forward curvature of lumbar spine; swayback

scoliosis

lateral curve of spine

spina bifida

congential anomaly; vertebra fails to fully form around spinal cord

spinal stenosis

narrowing of spinal canal; causes pressure on spinal and nerves

spondylolisthesis

forward sliding lumbar vertebra over vertebra below it

spondylosis

general term for degenerative vertebral column condition

whiplash

cervical muscle and ligament sprain

adhesive capsulitis

limitation in the range of motion due to thickening caused by inflammation of the joint capsule; most commonly called frozen shoulder

anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury

cruciate ligaments are a pair of ligaments (one anterior and one posterior) arranged in the shape of an X in the knee joint; they work together to stabilize the knee; the anterior ligament is prone to being stretched, torn, ruptured with trauma involving an abrupt change of direction

bunion

inflammation of bursa of first metatarsophalangeal joint (base of big toe)

dislocation

occurs when bones in a joint are displaced from normal alignment and ends of bones are no longer in contact; in other words, the joint comes apart

gout

type of arthritis presenting as pain and swelling, usually in the first metatarsophalangeal joint

osteoarthritis (OA)

results in degeneration of bone and joints; bone rubs against bone

prepatellar bursitis

swelling of bursa between patella and skin; seen in persons who kneel often

rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

autoimmune inflammation of joints with swelling, stiffness, pain, results in joint deformities

sprain

damage to ligaments around joint due to overstretching; no dislocation or fracture

sublaxation

incomplete dislocation; joint alignment is disrupted, but ends of bones remain in contact

systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

autoimmune disease of connective tissue affecting many systems and may include joint pain; looks like rheumatoid arthritis

talipes

congenital deformity of ankle misalignment; clubfoot

arthrography

visualizing joint by X-ray after injecting contrast medium into joint

bone scan

nuclear medicine procedure; radioactive dye is used to visualize bones; useful for identifying stress fractures and metastases

dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA)

measures bone density using low dose x-ray; detects osteoporosis

myelography

study of spinal column after rejecting opaque contrast medium; useful for identifying herniated nucleus pulposus

radiography

uses x-rays to study internal structure of body; especially useful for visualizing bones and joints

arthroscopy

examining interior joint with an arthroscope, a fiberoptic camera; view of joint interior appears on monitor during procedure

arthrocentesis

insertion of needle into joint cavity to remove fluid

orthotic

brace or sprint used to protect or correct deformities

prosthesis

artificial device to substitute for a missing or damaged body part

amputation

removal of a limb for reasons like tumors, gangrene, or crushing injury

anterior cruciate ligament repair

surgical repair of partially or completely torn anterior cruciate ligament

arthroclasia

forcibly breaking loose a fused joint

arthrodesis

stabilizing joint by fusing bones together

arthroscopic surgery

performing surgery while using an arthroscope to view inside joint

arthrotomy

cutting into a joint

bone graft

harvesting bone from one location to replace a bony defect in another location

bursectomy

removal of a bursa

chondrectomy

removal of cartilage

chondroplasty

repair of cartilage

craniotomy

cutting into the skull

laminectomy

removal of posterior arch of vertebra to remove compression of a spinal nerve

meniscectomy

surgical removal of a meniscus

osteoclasia

intentional breaking of a bone

osteotome

instrument used to cut bone

osteotomy

cutting into a bone

percutaneous diskectomy

tube is inserted into intervertebral disk to suck out ruptured disk; may also be done with a laser

percutaneous vertebroplasty

surgical removal of herniated or ruptured disk material

spinal fusion

surgical immobilization of adjacent vertebrae

synovectomy

removal of a synovial membrane

total hip arthroplasty (THA)

implanting a prosthetic hip joint