CH 6 Key Terms: Disorders and Injuries

ataxia

Lack of muscle coordination (from root tax/o meaning "order, arrangement") (adjective: ataxic)

atrophy

A wasting away; a decrease in the size of a tissue or organ, such as muscular wasting from disuse

clonus

Alternating spasmodic contraction and relaxation in a muscle (adjective: clonic)

restless legs syndrome (RLS)

Uneasiness, twitching, or restlessness in the legs that occurs after going to bed and often leading to insomnia; may be caused by poor circulation or drug side effects

rheumatism

A general term for inflammation, soreness, and stiffness of muscles associated with joint pain (adjectives: rheumatic, rheumatoid)

spasm

A sudden, involuntary muscle contraction; may be clonic (contraction alternating with relaxation) or tonic (sustained); a strong and painful spasm may be called a cramp (adjectives: spastic, spasmodic)

spasticity

Increased tone or contractions of muscles causing stiff and awkward movements

tetanus

An acute infectious disease caused by the anaerobic bacillus Clostridium tetani; marked by persistent painful spasms of voluntary muscles; lockjaw

torticollis

Spasmodic contraction of the neck muscles causing stiffness and twisting of the neck; wryneck

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

A disease caused by motor neuron degeneration resulting in muscular weakness and atrophy; Lou Gehrig disease

chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

A disease of unknown cause that involves persistent fatigue along with muscle and joint pain and other symptoms; may be virally induced

dermatomyositis

A disease of unknown origin involving muscular inflammation as well as dermatitis and skin rashes

fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS)

A disorder associated with widespread muscular aches and stiffness and having no known cause

muscular dystrophy

A group of hereditary muscular disorders marked by progressive weakness and muscular atrophy

myasthenia gravis (MG)

A disease characterized by progressive muscular weakness; an autoimmune disease affecting the neuromuscular junction

polymyositis

A disease of unknown cause involving muscular inflammation and weakness

repetitive strain injury (RSI)

Tissue damage caused by repeated motion, usually overuse of the arm or hand in occupational activities such as writing, typing, painting, or using hand tools; also called repetitive motion injury, cumulative trauma injury, overuse syndrome

sprain

Injury to a ligament caused by abnormal or excessive force at a joint, but without bone dislocation or fracture

strain

Trauma to a muscle because of overuse or excessive stretch; if severe, may involve muscular tearing, bleeding, separation of a muscle from its tendon, or tendon separation from a bone

tendinitis

Inflammation of a tendon, usually caused by injury or overuse; the shoulder, elbow, and hip are common sites; also spelled tendonitis

tenosynovitis

Inflammation of a tendon and its sheath