| Aberration - deviation
from the usual course or condition
Anomaly - marked
deviation from the normal standard, especially
as a result of congenital or hereditary defects
Anterior - front
Atlas - first cervical
vertebra
Axis - second cervical
vertebra
Cervical - first
seven vertebrae (neck)
Coccyx - last bone
of the vertebral column, formed by the union
of four vertebrae.
commonly called the tailbone
Congenital - existing
at, and usually before, birth
Degeneration - deterioration
which causes some degree of loss of original
function
Disk - the mass
of fibrocartilage between adjacent surfaces
of most vertebrae
Dorsal/Thoracic -
twelve vertebrae of the mid-back which attach
to ribs
Extension - a straightening
out or moving of parts away from each other
Flexion - the act
of bending
Inflammation - morbid
tissue reaction producing symptoms of swelling,
heat, redness or disordered function; a localized
protective response elicited by injury or
destruction of tissues, which serves to destroy,
dilute, or wall off both the injurious agent
and the injured tissue.
Lateral - side
Lumbar - five vertebrae
of the low back
Nerve - a cordlike
structure, visible to the naked eye, comprising
a collection of nerve fibers which convey
impulses between a part of the central nervous
system and some other region of the body
Oblique - slanted;
x-rays taken at 45 degree angle
Posterior - back
or behind
Sacrum - a curved
triangular bone composed of five united (or
fused) vertebrae situated below the fifth
lumbar
Sprain - joint injury
in which the ligaments are stretched or lacerated
Strain - overstretching
or overexertion of muscles
Subluxation - misalignment
of a vertebra or vertebrae putting pressure
on nerve supply
Vertigo - an illusion
of movement; a sensation as if the external
world were revolving around the patient
Vertebra - one of
the 33 bones forming the spinal or vertebral
column
Vertebrae - the plural
for vertebra |