Medical Terminology - Chapter 4: Musculoskeletal System (PT702)

50 flashcards · Biology · by Jack Shi

COMBINING FORMS ankyl/o = crooked or stiff arthr/o, articul/o = joint brachi/o = arm cervic/o = neck chondr/o = cartilage (gristle) cost/o = rib crani/o = skull dactyl/o = digit (finger or toe) fasci/o = fascia (a band) femor/o = femur fibr/o = fiber kyph/o = humped-back lei/o = smooth lord/o = bent lumb/o = loin (lower back) my/o, myos/o, muscul/o = muscle myel/o = bone marrow or spinal cord oste/o = bone patell/o = knee cap pelv/i = pelvis (basin) or hip bone radi/o = radius rhabd/o = rod-sha…
Orth/o, meaning straight, normal, or correct, and ped/o, meaning foot, are combined to form the term orthopedic, meaning pertaining to the medical specialty related to the musculoskeletal system. The British spelling for this specialty is orthopaedic.
The combining form meaning bone is oste/o. The suffix -itis means inflammation. Osteitis therefore refers to inflammation of bone. Inside most bones is bone marrow; the combining form meaning bone marrow is myel/o, as in the adjective myeloid.
The three combining forms for muscle are muscul/o, my/o, and myos/o. The musculoskeletal system involves both muscles and bones. Recalling that the suffix -algia means pain, myalgia must mean muscle pain. Myositis is an inflammation of muscle.
The cranial bones comprise the skull. The combining form that means skull is crani/o. Neck bones are referred to as the cervical vertebrae, from the combining form cervic/o, meaning neck.
The two combining forms for vertebrae, the bones of the spine, are vertebr/o and spondyl/o. Spondylitis is inflammation of the vertebrae. Scoli/o means twisted, and when combined with the suffix -osis, which means condition or increase, it forms the word scoliosis, which refers to a condition of having a twisted spine. The combining form meaning bent is lord/o, and a spine that is bent forward is called lordosis. The condition of a humped back is called kyphosis, from the combining form kyph/o,…
The breastbone is also called the sternum, from the combining form stern/o. Most of the ribs connect to the breastbone in the front of the body. The combining form cost/o means rib. The sternocostal area, therefore, is where the sternum or breastbone is connected to the ribs.
Thoracic is the adjective referring to the chest, formed from the combining form thorac/o, which means chest, and the adjective-forming suffix -ic.
Below the ribs and spine are the bones of the pelvis, from the combining form pelv/i. A pelviscope is used to examine the interior of the pelvis. Pelvimetry is the measurement of the diameters of the pelvis.
Below the pelvis is the longest bone in the body, the femur. The combining form for this term is femor/o. The femur joins the tibia at the knee joint,where a small bone called the kneecap covers the joint. The medical term for the kneecap is patella, from the combining form patell/o.
The two bones of the forearm are the radius and the ulna, from the combining forms radi/o and uln/o. Radioulnar is an adjective referring to both the radius and the ulna.
The combining form dactyl/o refers to digit (either a finger or a toe). Dactylalgia therefore means pain of the fingers or toes.
The combining form for arm is brachi/o. The brachial artery, for example, runs through the arm.
A joint is where two or more bones join together. This is also called an articulation, from the combining form articul/o. Another combining term for joint is arthr/o, which is used to form the term arthritis, meaning inflammation of a joint.
Ankyl/o is a combining form meaning crooked or stiff. Ankylosis therefore is a stiffened joint.
Cartilage is a gristle-like substance that covers bones where they articulate at joints. Chondroma is a tumor that arises from cartilage, the combining form for which is chondr/o.
Muscle fibers have the ability to contract, allowing them to move bones and, thus, body parts. The combining form for fiber is fibr/o, and a common adjective form is fibrous. Muscles are composed of either smooth (lei/o) or striated (rhabd/o) muscle tissues. A leiomyoma is a tumor of smooth muscle. A rhabdomyoma is a tumor of striated (skeletal) muscle.
The combining form for tone is ton/o. Therefore, myotonia refers to a condition of muscle tone.
A tendon connects muscle to bone. Three combining forms for tendon are ten/o, tend/o, and tendin/o. Tendinitis is inflammation of a tendon.
Fascia is a band or sheet of fibrous tissue that encloses muscles or groups of muscles. It comes from the combining form fasci/o.
Sarc/o means flesh or a muscular substance. A sarcoma, for example, is a fleshy tumor.
ANATOMICAL POSITION AND TERMS OF REFERENCE anatomic or a term of reference that health professionals use when noting body anatomical position planes,positions,or directions:the person is assumed to be standing an-ah-t˘om!ik or upright (erect),facing forward,feet pointed forward and slightly an-ah-t˘om!ik-˘al apart,with arms at the sides and palms facing forward;the patient is p¯ o-z˘ ı!sh˘un visualized in this pose when applying any other term of reference body planes (Fig.4-7) reference planes…
SYMPTOMATIC TERMS arthralgia = joint pain atrophy = shrinking of muscle size crepitation or crepitus = grating sound sometimes made by the movement of a joint or broken bones exostosis = a projection arising from a bone that develops from cartilage flaccid = flabby, relaxed, or having defective or absent muscle tone hypertrophy = increase in the size of tissue, such as muscle hypotonia = reduced muscle tone or tension myalgia or myodynia = muscle pain ostealgia or osteodynia = bone pain rigor =…
Broken bones rubbing together may produce a grating sound, which is called crepitus or crepitation. This sound may also occur in a joint.
Recall that the prefix exo- means outside. A term for a cartilage projection growing outside a bone is exostosis.
Two suffixes for pain are -dynia and -algia. Using the combining form for bone, two terms for bone pain are osteodynia and ostealgia. Two similarly formed terms for muscle pain are myodynia and myalgia. Using the combining form arthr/o, the term for joint pain is arthralgia.
The prefix hyper- means above or excessive. Hypertrophy refers to increased muscle size. Shrinking muscle size is called atrophy.
The prefix hypo- means below or deficient. A condition of reduced muscle tension or tone is called hypotonia. In such a case, the muscle can be said to be flabby or flaccid.
Tremor, from the Latin word for shaking, is a rhythmic muscular movement. This may result from certain neurologic conditions.
A stiff muscle is called rigor or rigidity.
An involuntary contraction of a muscle is called a spasm. A prolonged, continuous muscle contraction is a condition called tetany. Recall that the suffix y means a condition or process.
DIAGNOSTIC TERMS ankylosis = stiff joint condition arthritis = inflammation of the joints characterized by pain, swelling, redness, warmth, and limitation of motion; there are more than 100 different types of arthritis osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, degenerative joint disease (DJD), = most common form of arthritis, especially affecting the weight-bearing joints (e.g., knee or hip), characterized by the erosion of articular cartilage rheumatoid arthritis = most crippling form of arthrit…
Formed from the combining form for stiff and the suffix -osis, meaning condition or increase, a stiff joint condition is called ankylosis.
Formed from the combining form for joint and the suffix -itis, meaning inflammation, the term for inflammation of joints characterized by pain and swelling is arthritis. The most common form of arthritis, which is formed using the combining form for bone, is osteoarthritis. This is also called degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease (DJD). The most crippling type of arthritis, which is characterized by chronic, systemic inflammation, is rheumatoid arthritis. Gouty arthritis attacks…
Recall that the suffix -itis refers to inflammation. Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa. Inflammation of the epiphyseal regions of a long bone is called epiphysitis. Myositis is inflammation of a muscle. Inflammation of a tendon is called tendonitis or tendinitis. Osteomyelitis is an infection and inflammation of bone and bone marrow.
A bunion is a swelling at the joint at the base of the great toe caused by inflammation of the bursa.
The combining form necr/o means death, and the suffix -osis means condition or increase.The term for the condition or increase of dead bone tissue caused by a loss of blood supply is bony necrosis, which is also called sequestrum.
Recall that the combining form for cartilage is chrondr/o. The term chondromalacia refers to a softening of cartilage.
A broken bone, or fracture, can happen in various ways. The skin is not broken in a closed fracture, whereas there is an open wound with an open fracture. If the fracture has only one fracture line and the bones are not displaced, this is a simple fracture, whereas a displaced fracture that requires manipulation to put the bone pieces in correct position is a complex fracture. The abbreviation for fracture is Fx.
A fracture involving a bone that is broken in many small pieces is a comminuted fracture. An incomplete fracture, which usually is seen in children and is named for how a living tree branch may break when you bend it, is a greenstick fracture.
A degenerated or fragmented intervertebral disk that protrudes and compresses a nerve is called a herniated disk.
Recall that the suffix -oma means tumor. Using the combining forms for muscle and bone, a muscle tumor is a myoma, and a bone tumor is an osteoma. A myeloma is a tumor of the bone marrow. An osteosarcoma is a type of malignant bone tumor.
There are several types of muscle tumors. The suffix -oma refers to any tumor, but a sarcoma is a malignant tumor. Recall the meanings of the combining forms lei/o and rhabd/o. A smooth muscle tumor is a leiomyoma, whereas a skeletal muscle tumor is a rhabdomyoma. A malignant smooth muscle tumor is a leiomyosarcoma, and a malignant skeletal muscle tumor is a rhabdomyosarcoma.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of diseases that are characterized by progressive atrophy of skeletal muscles. Recall that atrophy means shrinking of muscle size,and the prefix dys- means painful or faulty.
Recall that chondromalacia means softening of cartilage. The term for softening of bone is osteomalacia. This is caused by a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D. In children, this is called rickets.
The suffix -osis means condition or increase. The condition in which bones become less dense and more porous is called osteoporosis.
Joints can be injured by trauma in various ways. If the bones are partially dislocated from their usual position in a joint, this is called subluxation. An injury to a ligament without a dislocation or fracture is called a sprain.
Several abnormal spinal curvatures are common. Kyphosis is an abnormal posterior curvature of the thoracic region. From the combining form meaning bent, an abnormal anterior curvature of the lumbar region is called lordosis. From the combining form meaning twisted, an abnormal lateral curvature is called scoliosis.
Recall that spondyl/o is the combining form for vertebra. The term for a stiff, immobile condition of the vertebrae is spondylosis. The term for forward slipping of lumbar vertebra is spondylolisthesis.
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS A = anterior AKA = above-knee amputation AP = anterior-posterior BKA = below-knee amputation CAT = computed axial tomography CT = computed tomography DJD = degenerative joint disease EMG = electromyogram Fx = fracture MRI = magnetic resonance imaging NSAID = nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug OA = osteoarthritis ORIF = open reduction, internal fixation P = posterior PA = posterior-anterior PT = physical therapy RA = rheumatoid arthritis ROM = range of motion Tx = trea…