Brain: That part of the central nervous system that is located within the cranium ( skull ). The brain functions as the primary receiver, organizer and distributor of information for the body. It has two (right and left) halves called "hemispheres."
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Bridge: A set of one or more false teeth supported by a metal framework, used to replace one or more missing teeth.
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Chronic: This important term in medicine comes from the Greek chronos, time and means lasting a long time.
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Clinical trial: See: Clinical trials. See also: Inconclusive clinical trial; Negative clinical trial; Non-inferior clinical trial; Positive clinical trial.
Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.
Dermis: The lower or inner layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin.The dermis contains blood vessels, lymph vessels, hair follicles, and glands that produce sweat, which helps regulate body temperature, and sebum, an oily substance that helps keep the skin from drying out. Sweat and sebum reach the skin's surface through tiny openings in the skin that act as pores.
Epidermis: The upper or outer layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin . The epidermis is mostly made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells . Under the squamous cells are round cells called basal cells. The deepest part of the epidermis also contains melanocytes. These cells produce melanin , which gives the skin its color.
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Fascia: A flat band of tissue below the skin that covers the underlying tissues and separates different layers of tissue. Fascia encloses muscles. Inflammation of the fascia is referred to as fasciitis .
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Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment, usually accompanied by a feeling of weariness and tiredness. Fatigue can be acute and come on suddenly or chronic and persist.
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Fiber : The parts of plants that cannot be digested, namely complex carbohydrates. Also known as bulk or roughage.
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Groin: In anatomy, the area where the upper thigh meets the trunk. More precisely, the fold or depression marking the juncture of the lower abdomen and the inner part of the thigh.
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Injury: Harm or hurt. The term "injury" may be applied in medicine to damage inflicted upon oneself as in a hamstring injury or by an external agent on as in a cold injury. The injury may be accidental or deliberate, as with a needlestick injury. The term "injury" may be synonymous (depending on the context) with a wound or with trauma.
Joint: A joint is the area where two bones are attached for the purpose of motion of body parts. A joint is usually formed of fibrous connective tissue and cartilage. An articulation or an arthrosis is the same as a joint.
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Ligament: A ligament is a tough band of connective tissue that connects various structures such as two bones.
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Longitudinal: The word come from the Latin longitudo meaning length. Hence, longitudinal means along the length, running lengthwise, or (by extension) over the course of time.
Lymph: An almost colorless fluid that travels through vessels called lymphatics in the lymphatic system and carries cells that help fight infection and disease.
Lymphatic: 1. One of the lymphatics, vessel that convey the lymph fluid. 2. Pertaining to the lymph, lymphoid tissue, or lymphocytes. 3. Lacking energy. Sluggish.
From the Latin lympha (water or water goddess), from the Greek nymphe (nymph).
Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. There are three types of muscle in the body. Muscle which is responsible for moving extremities and external areas of the body is called "skeletal muscle." Heart muscle is called "cardiac muscle." Muscle that is in the walls of arteries and bowel is called "smooth muscle."
Muscular: Having to do with the muscles. Also, endowed with above average muscle development. Muscular system refers to all of the muscles of the body collectively.
Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constricted part of a bone or organ that joins its parts as, for example, the neck of the femur bone.
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Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses chemical and electrical signals to transmit sensory and motor information from one body part to another. See: Nervous system.
Neural: Having to do with nerve cells.
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Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system.
Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it can be more diffuse, as in disorders like fibromyalgia . Pain is mediated by specific nerve fibers that carry the pain impulses to the brain where their conscious appreciation may be modified by many factors.
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Pediatric: Pertaining to children.
Pediatrics: "Pediatrics is concerned with the health of infants, children and adolescents, their growth and development, and their opportunity to achieve full potential as adults." (Richard E.Behrman in Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics)
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Physical therapy: A branch of rehabilitative health that uses specially designed exercises and equipment to help patients regain or improve their physical abilities. Physical therapists work with many types of patients, from infants born with musculoskeletal birth defects, to adults suffering from sciatica or the after- effects of injury, to elderly post-stroke patients.
Physiologic: Something that is normal, neither due to anything pathologic nor significant in terms of causing illness.
Posture: The carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of the limbs (the arms and legs).
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Prophylactic: A preventive measure. The word comes from the Greek for "an advance guard," an apt term for a measure taken to fend off a disease or another unwanted consequence.
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Randomized: The use of chance alone to assign the participants in an experiment or trial to different groups in order to fairly compare the outcomes with different treatments. Randomization is an important feature of experimental design.
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Range of motion: The range through which a joint can be moved, usually its range of flexion and extension. Due to an injury, the knee may for example lack 10 degrees of full extension.
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Sensory: Relating to sensation , to the perception of a stimulus and the voyage made by incoming ( afferent ) nerve impulses from the sense organs to the nerve centers.
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Shoulder: A structure made up of two main bones: the scapula (shoulder blade) and the humerus (the long bone of the upper arm). The end of the scapula, called the glenoid, is a socket into which the head of the humerus fits, forming a flexible ball-and-socket joint. The scapula is an unusually shaped bone. It extends up and around the shoulder joint at the rear to create a roof called the acromion and around the shoulder joint at the front to constitute the coracoid process. The shoulder joint is cushioned by cartilage that covers the face of the glenoid socket and the head of the humerus. The joint is stabilized by a ring of fibrous cartilage around the glenoid socket that is called the labrum. Ligaments connect the bones of the shoulder and tendons join these bones to surrounding muscles. The biceps tendon attaches the biceps muscle to the shoulder and helps stabilize the joint. Four short muscles that originate on the scapula pass around the shoulder where their tendons fuse together to form the rotator cuff.
Shoulder pain: Pain in the shoulder due to an injury or disease. The design of the shoulder joint is such that it sacrifices stability for mobility. As an extremely mobile joint that plays a central role in the action of a major extremity (the arm), the shoulder is at high risk for injury. An injury can involve the ligaments, bursae, or tendons surrounding the shoulder joint, the cartilage, menisci (plural for meniscus), or bones of the joint. Pain can also occur in the shoulder from diseases and conditions that involve the shoulder joint, the soft tissues and bones surrounding the shoulder, or the nerves that supply sensation to the shoulder area.
Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems.
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Tendon: The tissue by which a muscle attaches to bone. A tendon is somewhat flexible, but fibrous and tough. When a tendon becomes inflamed, the condition is referred to as tendinitis or tendonitis. Inflamed tendons are at risk for rupture.
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Therapy: The treatment of disease .
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TMJ: Tempero-mandibular joint, the joint that hinges the lower jaw (mandible) to the skull.
Turf toe: An injury to the big toe due to forced hyperextension (upward bending back) of the toe. The damage is to the capsule of the joint (the first metatarsophalangeal joint) and the ligaments that connect the big toe to the foot. Hyperflexible shoes predispose to the injury. The big toe is painful, tender and swollen. Treatment is with icing, rest and anti-inflammatory medication. Taping of the big toe and a stiff insole insert in the shoe may help prevent hyperextension of the toe. Turf toe is so named for its occurrence on the artificial playing surfaces used in American football. Turf toe also occurs in other sports played on artificial turf, in grass sports, and the martial arts. Also known medically as a metatarsophalangeal joint sprain.
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- Fitness - Regular physical activity and fitness can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Fitness and physical activity also have other health benefits.
- Fitness: Exercise for a Healthy Heart - A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Exercising benefits include healthier heart, stronger circulation, lower blood pressure, higher self-esteem, sleep, less stress, less anxiety, and less depression.
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