Musculoskeletal System Diagnostic Terms

stiff joint condition

inflammation of the joints characterized by pain, swelling, redness, warmth, and limitation of motion; there are more than 100 different types of arthritis

most common form of arthritis, especially affecting the weight-bearing joints (e.g., knee or hip), characterized by the erosion of articular cartilage

most crippling form of arthritis; characterized by chronic systemic inflammation, most often affecting joints and synovial membranes (especially in the hands and feet) and causing ankylosis and deformity

acute attacks of arthritis, usually in a single joint (especially the great tow), caused by hyperuricemia (an excessive level of uric acid in the blood)

bone tissue that has died from loss of blood supply, such as can occur after a fracture (sequestrum = something laid aside)

swelling of the joint at the base of the great toe caused by inflammation of the bursa

inflammation of a bursa

softening of cartilage

inflammation of the epiphyseal regions of the lone bone

broken or cracked bone

broken bone with no open wound

compound fracture; broken bone with an open wound

nondisplaced fracture with one fracture line that does not require extensive treatment to repair (e.g., hairline fracture, stress fracture, or a crack)

displaced fracture that requires manipulation or surgery to repair

the line of the break in a broken bone (e.g., oblique, spiral, or transverse)

broken in many small pieces

bending and incomplete break of a bone; most often seen in children

protrusion of a degenerated or fragmented intervertebral disk so that the nucleus pulposus protrudes, causing compression on the nerve root

bone marrow tumor

inflammation of the muscle

muscle tumor

smooth muscle tumor

malignant smooth muscle tumor

skeletal muscle tumor

malignant skeletal muscle tumor

a category of genetically transmitted diseases characterized by progressive atrophy of skeletal muscles; Duchenne type is most common

bone tumor

type of malignant bone tumor

disease marked by softening of the bone caused by calcium and vitamin D deficiency

osteomalacia in children; causes bone deformity

infection of bone and bone marrow, causing inflammation

condition of decreased bone density and increased porosity, causing bones to become brittle and to fracture more easily (porosis = passage)

curvatures of the spine (backbone) or spinal column (vertebral column)

abnormal posterior curvature of the thoracic spine (humped-back condition)

abnormal anterior curvature of the lumbar spine (sway-back condition)

abnormal lateral curvature of the spine (S-shaped curve)

forward slipping of a lumbar vertebra (listhesis = slipping)

stiff, immobile condition of vertebrae caused by joint degeneration

injury to a ligament caused by joint trauma but without joint dislocation or fracture

partial dislocation (luxation = dislocation)

inflammation of a tendon