Knee Joint Replacement Glossary of Terms

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Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before sur...

Anesthesiologist: A physician or, less often, a dentist who is specialized in the practice...

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

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

Arthrocentesis: A procedure in which a sterile needle and syringe are used to drain fluid ...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

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

Deep vein thrombosis: A blood clot within a deep vein, typically in the thigh or leg. The ...

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

Doppler ultrasound: A form of ultrasound that can detect and measure blood flow. Doppler u...

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Enoxaparin: A low-molecular-weight version of heparin that acts like heparin as an anticoa...

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

Femur: The single bone in the thigh, which is the largest bone in the human body. Also kno...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

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

Gait: A manner of walking. Observation of gait can provide early diagnostic clues for a nu...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heparin: An anticoagulant (anti-clotting) medication. Heparin is useful in preventing thro...

Incision: A cut through skin or other tissue performed by a health care professional.

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

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

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...

Knee joint: The knee joint has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the large sh...

Kneecap: The patella, the small bone in the front of the knee. The patella is a little (se...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Lower leg: The lower leg is the bottom segment of the leg: the part below the knee.

Numb: Numb, or numbness is a loss of the sensation of feeling in an area of the body. Numb...

Orthopedist: An orthopedic surgeon, a physician who corrects congenital or functional abno...

Osteoarthritis: A type of arthritis caused by inflammation, breakdown, and eventual loss ...

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

Paresis: Incomplete paralysis or slight paralysis.

Paresthesia: An abnormal sensation of the body, such as numbness, tingling, or burning.

Patella: The kneecap by another name, the patella is the small bone that is in the front ...

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

Physical therapy: A branch of rehabilitative health that uses specially designed exercises...

Popliteal: Referring to the back of the knee. For example, the popliteal fossa is the holl...

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

Prostheses: More than one prosthesis. See: Prosthesis.

Prosthesis: An artificial replacement of a part of the body, such as a tooth, a facial bon...

Prosthetic: Referring to a prosthesis, an artificial substitute or replacement of a part o...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

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

Rehabilitation: The process of helping a person who has suffered an illness or injury rest...

Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of joint...

Shinbone: The larger of the two bones in the lower leg (the smaller one being the fibula)....

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

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

Syringe: A medical device that is used to inject fluid into, or withdraw fluid from, the b...

Temple: The area just behind and to the side of the forehead and the eye, above the side o...

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

Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The vessel may be...

Tibia: The larger of the two long bones in the lower leg. The tibia is familiarly known as...

Total knee replacement: A surgical procedure in which damaged parts of the knee joint are ...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

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