Question | Answer |
Abduction | The movement of a limb (arm or leg) away from the midline of the body. |
Adduction | The movement of a limb (arm or leg) toward the midline of the body. |
Adhesion | A band of fibrous tissue that holds structures together abnormally. |
Ataxia | The lack of muscle coordination during voluntary movement. |
Atonic | Lacking normal muscle tone or strength. |
Atrophy | Weakness or wearing away of body tissues and structures. |
Bradykinesia | Extreme slowness in movement. |
carpal tunnel syndrome | Symptoms occur when the tendons that pass through the carpal tunnel are chronically overused and become inflamed and swollen. |
chronic fatigue syndrome | A disorder of unknown cause that affects many body systems. |
Circumduction | The circular movement at the far end of a limb. |
Contracture | The permanent tightening of fascia, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or skin that occurs when normally elastic connective tissues are replaced with nonelastic fibrous tissues. |
Dorsiflexion | The movement that bends the foot upward at the ankle. |
Dyskinesia | The distortion or impairment of voluntary movement such as a tic or spasm. |
Dystonia | A condition of abnormal muscle tone that causes the impairment of voluntary muscle movement. |
Electromyography | A diagnostic test that measures the electrical activity within muscle fibers in response to nerve stimulation. |
Epicondylitis | Inflammation of the tissues surrounding the elbow. |
Ergonomics | The study of the human factors that affect the design and operation of tools and the work environment. |
exercise physiologist | A specialist who works under the supervision of a physician to develop, implement, and coordinate exercise programs, and administer medical tests to promote physical fitness. |
Fasciitis | Inflammation of a fascia. |
fibromyalgia syndrome | A debilitating chronic condition characterized by fatigue; diffuse or specific muscle, joint, or bone pain; and a wide range of other symptoms. |
ganglion cyst | A harmless fluidfilled swelling that occurs most commonly on the outer surface of the wrist. |
heel spur | A calcium deposit in the plantar fascia near its attachment to the calcaneus (heel) bone that can be one of the causes of plantar fasciitis. |
Hemiparesis | Slight paralysis or weakness affecting one side of the body. |
Hemiplegia | Total paralysis affecting only one side of the body. |
Hernia | The protrusion of a part of a structure through the tissues normally containing it. |
Hyperkinesias | Abnormally increased muscle function or activity; also known as hyperactivity. |
Hypotonia | A condition in which there is diminished tone of the skeletal muscles. |
impingement syndrome | Occurs when inflamed and swollen tendons are caught in the narrow space between the bones within the shoulder joint. |
Insertion | Where the muscle ends by attaching to a bone or tendon. |
intermittent claudication | Pain in the leg muscles that occurs during exercise and is relieved by rest. |
muscular dystrophy | A group of genetic diseases that are characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement, without affecting the nervous system. |
myasthenia gravis | A chronic autoimmune disease that affects the neuromuscular junction and produces serious weakness of voluntary muscles. |
Myocele | The herniation (protrusion) of muscle substance through a tear in the fascia surrounding it. |
Myoclonus | The sudden, involuntary jerking of a muscle or group of muscles. |
myofascial release | A specialized soft-tissue manipulation technique used to ease the pain of conditions such as fibromyalgia syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome, movement restrictions, temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ), and carpal tunnel syndrome. |
Myolysis | The degeneration of muscle tissue. |
Myoparesis | a weakness or slight muscular paralysis. |
Myorrhaphy | The surgical suturing a muscle. |
Neuromuscular | Pertaining to the relationship between a nerve and muscle. |
nocturnal myoclonus | Jerking of the limbs that can occur normally as a person is falling asleep. |
Oblique | Slanted or at an angle. |
Paralysis | The loss of sensation and voluntary muscle movements in a muscle through disease or injury to its nerve supply. |
Paraplegia | The paralysis of both legs and the lower part of the body. |
Physiatrist | A physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation with the focus on restoring function. |
plantar fasciitis | An inflammation of the plantar fascia on the sole of the foot. This condition causes foot or heel pain when walking or running. |
Polymyositis | A muscle disease characterized by the simultaneous inflammation and weakening of voluntary muscles in many parts of the body. |
Pronation | The act of rotating the arm or leg so that the palm of the hand or sole of the foot is turned downward or backward. |
Quadriplegia | Paralysis of all four extremities. |
range of motion testing | A diagnostic procedure to evaluate joint mobility and muscle strength. |
Sarcopenia | The loss of muscle mass, strength, and function that come with aging. |
shin splint | A painful condition caused by the tibialis anterior muscle tearing away from the tibia (shin bone). |
Singultus | Myoclonus of the diaphragm that causes the characteristic hiccup sound with each spasm; also known as hiccups. |
spasmodic torticollis | A stiff neck due to spasmodic contraction of the neck muscles that pull the head toward the affected side; also known as wryneck. |
Sphincter | A ring-like muscle that tightly constricts the opening of a passageway. |
Sprain | An injury to a joint, such as an ankle, knee, or wrist, which usually occurs when a ligament is wrenched or torn. |
Tenodesis | The surgical suturing of the end of a tendon to a bone. |
Tenolysis | The release of a tendon from adhesions; also known as tendolysis. |
Tenorrhaphy | The surgical suturing together of the divided ends of a tendon. |
Tenosynovitis | An inflammation of the sheath surrounding a tendon. |
Transverse | In a crosswise direction. |