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Spine Center

Scoliosis & Spine Deformity Center

Glossary

Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, the small worm-like projection from the first part of the colon. Appendicitis usually involves infection of the appendix by bacteria that invade it and infect the wall of the appendix. Appendicitis can progress to produce an abscess (a pocket of pus) and even peritonitis (inflammation of the lining of the abdomen and pelvis).

Appreciation: Awareness and understanding of a problem or difficulty

Asymmetries: Uneven; Lack of balance or symmetry.

Birth defect: Any defect present in a baby at birth, irrespective of whether the defect is caused by a genetic factor or by prenatal events that are not genetic.

Bone Spur: A bone spur (osteophyte) is a bony growth formed on normal bone. Most people think of something sharp when they think of a "spur," but a bone spur is just extra bone. It’s usually smooth, but it can cause wear and tear or pain if it presses or rubs on other bones or soft tissues such as ligaments, tendons, or nerves in the body. Common places for bone spurs include the spine, shoulders, hands, hips, knees, and feet.

Cerebral palsy: An abnormality of motor function (the ability to move and control movements) that is acquired at an early age, usually less than a year of age, and is due to a brain lesion that is non-progressive. Cerebral palsy (CP) is frequently the result of abnormalities that occur in utero, while the fetus is developing inside the mother's womb. Such abnormalities may include accidents of brain development, genetic disorders, stroke due to abnormal blood vessels or blood clots, or infection of the brain. In rare instances, obstetrical accidents during particularly difficult deliveries can cause brain damage and result in CP. CP may be divided into spastic, choreoathetoid, and hypotonic (flaccid) CP. In spastic CP, there is an abnormality of muscle tone in which one or more extremities (arm or leg) are held in a rigid posture. Choreoathetoid CP is associated with abnormal, uncontrollable, writhing movements of the arms and/or legs. The child with hypotonic CP appears floppy -- like a rag doll. Treatment may include casting and braces to prevent further loss of limb function, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, the use of augmentative communication devices, and the use of medications of Botox injections to treat spasticity.

Cardiovascular Failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically, failure of the heart to pump blood with normal efficiency. When this occurs, the heart is unable to provide adequate blood flow to other organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys. Heart failure may be due to failure of the right or left or both ventricles. The signs and symptoms depend upon which side of the heart is failing. They can include shortness of breath (dyspnea), asthma due to the heart (cardiac asthma), pooling of blood (stasis) in the general body (systemic) circulation or in the liver's (portal) circulation, swelling (edema), blueness or duskiness (cyanosis), and enlargement (hypertrophy) of the heart.

Cartilage: Firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints. A more flexible kind of cartilage connects muscles with bones and makes up other parts of the body, such as the larynx and the outside parts of the ears.

Connective tissue: A material made up of fibers forming a framework and support structure for body tissues and organs. Connective tissue surrounds many organs. Cartilage and bone are specialized forms of connective tissue. All connective tissue is derived from mesoderm, the middle germ cell layer in the embryo.
Contour: The outline of a figure, body, or mass.

Convexity: a shape that curves or bulges outward; curving outward like the exterior part of a circle.

Disc Degeneration: Degenerative disc disease (DDD) (also called spondylosis) is a general term used to describe changes that can occur along any area of the spine (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) as you age, but is most common in the lumbar area. It’s not actually a disease, but rather a condition in which your discs “degenerate,” or lose their flexibility and ability to cushion your spine. Your discs don’t have a good blood supply, so once injured it can’t repair itself.

Fatigue: Extreme physical or mental tiredness.

Fuse (Fusion): Union, as by joining together, bone fusion.

Idiopathic: Of unknown cause. Any disease that is of uncertain or unknown origin may be termed idiopathic.

Idiopathic Scoliosis: Lateral (sideways) curvature of the spine due to unknown causes. This is the most common class of scoliosis.

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

Marfan syndrome: An inherited disorder of connective tissue characterized by abnormalities of the eyes, skeleton, and cardiovascular system.

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur within us (or any living organism). Metabolism consists of anabolism (the buildup of substances) and catabolism (the breakdown of substances).

Milwaukee brace: One of the two main types of braces used to treat the lateral curve of the spine in scoliosis. This brace can be worn to correct any curve in the spine.

Muscular dystrophy: One of a group of genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal or voluntary muscles which control movement. The muscles of the heart and some other involuntary muscles are also affected in some forms of muscular dystrophy, and a few forms involve other organs as well.

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones with reduction in bone mass due to depletion of calcium and bone protein. Osteoporosis predisposes a person to fractures, which are often slow to heal and heal poorly. It is more common in older adults, particularly post-menopausal women; in patients on steroids; and in those who take steroidal drugs.

Paralysis: a. Loss or impairment of the ability to move a body part, usually as a result of damage to its nerve supply. b. Loss of sensation over a region of the body.

Pelvic Girdle: The right and left hip bones, joined anteriorly at the pubic symphysis and at the sacrum posteriorly, by which the appendicular skeleton of the free lower limbs is attached to the axial skeleton, which in so doing forms a bony ring.

Penetrance: The likelihood a given gene will result in disease.

Progressive (Progression): Increasing in scope or severity; advancing; going forward. In medicine, a disease that is progressive is going from bad to worse.

Prognosis: 1. The expected course of a disease. 2. The patient's chance of recovery.
The prognosis predicts the outcome of a disease and therefore the future for the patient.

Protrusion: Something that bulges out or is protuberant or projects from its surroundings.

Scoliosis: See "About Scoliosis"

Spina bifida: A birth defect (a congenital malformation) in which there is a bony defect in the vertebral column so that part of the spinal cord, which is normally protected within the vertebral column, is exposed. People with spina bifida can suffer from bladder and bowel incontinence, cognitive (learning) problems and limited mobility. Spina bifida is caused by the failure of the neural tube to close during embryonic development. The neural tube is the embryonal structure that gives rise to the brain and spinal cord.

Spinal fusion: A surgical procedure in which two or more of the vertebrae in the spine are united together so that motion no longer occurs between them. Bone grafts are usually placed around the section of the spine to be fused. The body then heals the grafts over several months which join the vertebrae together. The bone for the graft may be taken from another bone in the patient (autograft) or from a bone bank (allograft). Metal rods, plates, screws and cages may also be used as an internal splint to hold the vertebrae together while the bone grafts heal and the spine fuses.

Spine: 1) The column of bone known as the vertebral column, which surrounds and protects the spinal cord. The spine can be categorized according to level of the body: i.e., cervical spine (neck), thoracic spine (upper and middle back), and lumbar spine (lower back). See also vertebral column. 2) Any short prominence of bone. The spines of the vertebrae protrude at the base of the back of the neck and in the middle of the back. These spines protect the spinal cord from injury from behind.

Spondylosis: Degeneration of the disc spaces between the vertebrae. This finding in the spine is commonly associated with osteoarthritis.

Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis (TLSO) Boston Brace:  The most common form of a TLSO brace is called the “Boston brace”, and it may be referred to as an “underarm” brace. This brace is fitted to the child’s body and custom molded from plastic. It works by applying three-point pressure to the curvature to prevent its progression

Vertebra: A vertebra is one of 33 bony segments that form the spinal column of humans. There are 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral (fused into one sacrum bone) and 4 coccygeal (fused into one coccyx bone).

Vertebral column: The 33 vertebrae fit together to form a flexible, yet extraordinarily tough, column that serves to support the back through a full range of motion. It also protects the spinal cord, which runs from the brain through the hollow space in the middle of the vertebral column. There are seven cervical (C1-C7), 12 thoracic (T1-T12), five lumbar (L1-L5), five sacral (S1-S5), and four coccygeal vertebrae in this column, each separated by intervertebral disks.

X-Ray: 1. High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-rays possess the properties of penetrating most substances (to varying extents), of acting on a photographic film or plate (permitting radiography), and of causing a fluorescent screen to give off light (permitting fluoroscopy). In low doses X-rays are used for making images that help to diagnose disease, and in high doses to treat cancer. Formerly called a Roentgen ray. 2. An image obtained by means of X-rays.