Slipped Disk Glossary of Terms

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Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

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

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

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...

Aging: The process of becoming older, a process that is genetically determined and environ...

Anus: The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

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

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

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bone scan: A nuclear medicine technique for creating images of bones on a computer screen ...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Cartilage: Firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints. A flexible kind of cartilag...

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

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

Cortisone: A naturally occurring adrenocorticoid hormone that is produced in minute amount...

Cross-section: In anatomy, a transverse cut through a structure or tissue. The opposite is...

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

Disc: Shortened terminology for an intervertebral disc, a disk-shaped piece of specialized...

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

Extremity: An uttermost part of the body, such as a hand or a foot.

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

Herniation: Abnormal protrusion of tissue through an opening.

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

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

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

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

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

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

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...

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

Lumbar vertebrae: The five vertebrae situated between the thoracic vertebrae and the sacra...

Magnetic resonance imaging: A procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer t...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Myelogram: An X-ray test of the spinal cord and the bones of the spine. A myelogram is use...

Narcotic: 1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosi...

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

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

Neurosurgeon: A physician who specializes in surgery on the brain and other parts of the n...

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

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

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...

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

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Referred pain: Pain felt at a site other than where the cause is situated. An example is t...

Rupture: A break or tear in any organ (such as the spleen) or soft tissue (such as the ach...

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

Sciatic nerve: The largest nerve in the body, the sciatic nerve begins from nerve roots in...

Sciatica: Pain that results from irritation of the sciatic nerve and typically radiates fr...

Shoulder: A structure made up of two main bones: the scapula (shoulder blade) and the hume...

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

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

Steroid: One of a large group of chemical substances classified by a specific carbon struc...

Strain: 1. An injury to a tendon or muscle resulting from overuse or trauma. 2. A heredita...

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

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

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

Tomography: The process for generating a tomogram, a two-dimensional image of a slice or s...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

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

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

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

Vertical: In anatomy, upright. As opposed to horizontal.

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