Ankylosing Spondylitis, Neurologic Perspective Glossary of Terms

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Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Adjacent: Lying nearby. Related terms include superjacent, subjacent, and circumjacent. Fr...

Amyloidosis: A group of diseases that result from the abnormal deposition of a protein, ca...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

Ankylosing: Having a tendency to stiffen and fuse together.

Ankylosing spondylitis: A form of chronic inflammation of the spine and the sacroiliac joi...

Ankylosis: Stiffness or, more often, fusion of a joint. From the Greek ankylsis, meaning s...

Antigen: A substance that the immune system perceives as being foreign or dangerous. The b...

Aorta: The largest artery in the body, the aorta arises from the left ventricle of the he...

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Atlantoaxial: Pertaining to the first and second cervical vertebrae which meet at a joint ...

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Cauda equina: A bundle of spinal nerve roots that arise from the end of the spinal cord. T...

Cauda equina syndrome: Impairment of the nerves in the cauda equina, characterized by dull...

Cerebrospinal fluid: A watery fluid that is continuously produced and absorbed and that fl...

Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck, including the neck on which the head is perc...

Cervical vertebrae: The cervical (neck) vertebrae are the upper 7 vertebrae in the spinal ...

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Compression: 1. The act of pressing together. As in a compression fracture, nerve c...

Connective tissue: A material made up of fibers forming a framework and support structure...

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and d...

Decompression: 1. In general, the removal of pressure.
2. In surgery, ...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Epidural: Outside the dura, the outermost, toughest, and most fibrous of the three membran...

Epidural hematoma: A hematoma between the skull and the brain's tissue-like covering, whic...

Erosion: An erosion is an eating away of a surface. ("Erodere" in Latin means to eat out.)...

Fasciitis: Inflammation of the fascia.

Flexion: The process of bending, or the state of being bent. For example, flexion of the f...

Fracture: A break in bone or cartilage. Although usually a result of trauma, a fracture ca...

Gene: The basic biological unit of heredity. A segment of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) need...

Genes: The basic biological units of heredity. Segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nee...

Hematoma: A localized swelling that is filled with blood caused by a break in the wall of ...

Hemoglobin: The oxygen-carrying pigment and predominant protein in the red blood cells. He...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Iliac: Pertaining to the ilium.

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune response: Any reaction by the immune system. For example, poison ivy can cause an i...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Inflammatory bowel disease: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by infla...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Internal medicine: The medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment ...

Iris: The circular, colored curtain of the eye. The opening of the iris forms the pupil. T...

Joint: The area where two bones are attached for the purpose of permitting body parts to m...

Knee: The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the lar...

Kyphosis: Outward curvature of the spine, causing a humped back. Treatment includes physic...

Lamina: Plates or layers. For example, the lamina arcus vertebrae are plates of bone withi...

Laminectomy: A surgical procedure in which the posterior arch of a vertebra is removed. La...

Low back pain: Pain in the lower back area that can relate to problems with the lumbar spi...

Lumbar: Referring to the five lumbar vertebrae, the disks below them, and the correspondin...

Lumbar spinal stenosis: A condition whereby either the spinal canal (central stenosis) or ...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Necrosis: The death of living cells or tissues. Necrosis can be due, for example, to ische...

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system as, for example, a neurol...

Neurology: The medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders o...

NSAID: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a medication that is commonly prescribed or pu...

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Paralysis: Loss of voluntary movement (motor function). Paralysis that affects only one mu...

Pelvic: Having to do with the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen, located between the h...

Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Plantar: Having to do with the sole of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis: Inflammation of the plantar fascia, the bowstring-like tissue that stre...

Postural: Pertaining to the posture or position of the body, the attitude or carriage of t...

Posture: The carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Proximal: Toward the beginning, the nearer of two (or more) items. For example, the proxim...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary fibrosis: Scarring throughout the lungs that can be caused by many conditions, s...

Radiculopathy: Any disease of the spinal nerve roots and spinal nerves. Radiculopathy is c...

Range of motion: The full movement potential of a joint, usually its range of flexion and ...

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the nonsurgical evaluation...

Rib: One of the 12 paired arches of bone that form the skeletal structure of the chest wal...

Rib cage: The structure formed by the thoracic vertebrae and ribs, the sternum (breastbone...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Sacrum: The large heavy bone at the base of the spine, which is made up of fused sacral v...

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Spinal stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by...

Spine: 1) The column of bone known as the vertebral column, which surrounds and protects ...

Spondylitis: Inflammation of one or more of the vertebrae of the spine. Diffuse inflammati...

Stenosis: A narrowing. For example, aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve in ...

Subluxation: Partial dislocation of a joint. A complete dislocation is a luxation.

Supine: With the back or dorsal surface downward. A person who is supine is lying face up....

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thoracic: Pertaining to the chest. For example, the thoracic aorta is the part of the aort...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

Tumor necrosis factor: One of multiple proteins capable of inducing necrosis (death) of tu...

Uvea: An inner layer of the eye that includes the iris, the blood vessels that serve the e...

Vertebra: A vertebra is one of 33 bony segments that form the spinal column of humans. Th...

Vertebrae: The preferred plural of vertebra. (The alternate plural is vertebras.) See also...

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...