Shoulder Glossary
See here for Hip Joint definitions.
- Abduction
- The raising of the arm by the side of the body.
- Adduction
- The lowering of the arm by the side of the body.
- Anterior
- Designating the front of the body or body part.
- Arthroscopy
- A technique using a narrow tube-like instrument which can be inserted into the cavity of a joint in order to see inside the joint.
- Axilla
- The armpit; axillary (adj.)
- Bankart lesion
- A detachment of the anterior part of the labrum from the rim of the glenohumeral cavity, often resulting from traumatic injury and resulting in shoulder instability.
- Biceps
- A two-headed muscle, which extends from the shoulder joint to the elbow. It flexes the arm and forearm and rotates the forearm and the palm upwards.
- Bursa (bursae, plural)
- A small sac of fibrous tissue that is lined with synovial membrane and filled with synovial fluid to lubricate the joint where parts move over one another.
- Capsule
- A fibrous structure, which surrounds a freely movable joint.
- Clavicle
- The collarbone.
- Collagen
- A strong but relatively inelastic protein, which occurs in bundles and which, is the principal component of white fibrous connective tissue (e.g. in tendons and ligaments).
- Compression fracture
- An injury in which the bone has been indented.
- Countertraction
- The use of a balancing opposing force during traction. A strong continuous pull is applied to a limb so that bones can be returned to their natural position.
- Dislocation (luxation)
- Displacement from their normal position of bones meeting at a joint.
- Compression fracture
- An injury in which the bone has been indented.
- External rotation
- The arm is rotated so that the palm is up.For strength testing, the arm is bent at the elbow and held at the side of the body. The patient tries to resist inward movement from force applied by the examiner to his/her hand.
- Fibrocartilage
- A tough cartilage in which there are dense bundles of collagen fibres in the matrix.
- Forward
flexion - Raising the arm in front of the body.
- Glenohumeral
- Pertaining to the shoulder region.
- History
- The set of answers the patient gives to the physician in response to questions aimed at determining the circumstances that give rise to a physical problem.
- Humerus
- The bone of the upper arm.
- Impingement
- A rubbing movement which causes pain.
- Instability
- A clinical syndrome which occurs when shoulders are loose enough to produce symptoms.
- Internal rotation
- The arm is rotated inwardly. For strength testing, the arm is bent at the elbow and held at the side of the body. The patient tries to resist outward movement from force applied by the examiner to his/her hand.
- Joint
- The point at which two or more bones are connected.
- Labrum
- A liplike cartilaginous structure around the margin of the shoulder socket.
- Ligament
- A tough but flexible band of white fibrous connective tissue that links two bones together at a joint. They limit bone movements to certain directions.
- Multidirectional instability
- A traumatic instability characterised by dislocation or subluxation in more than one direction.
- Physiotherapy
- A branch of treatment which employs physical methods to promote healing, including massage, manipulation, electric current, and remedial exercise.
- Plyometric exercise
- A type of exercise used in physiotherapy to re-educate the nerves and muscles.
- Posterior
- Describing the back of the body or limb.
- Proprioception
- Awareness of change in the position of a limb brought about by movement and muscular activity.
- Reduction
- Restoring the displaced part of the body to its normal position by manipulation or operation.
- Rotator cuff
- A group of tendons extending from the muscles which rotate the arm, which form a cuff or short sleeve around the shoulder joint and its capsule.
- Scapula
- The shoulder blade.
- SLAP lesion
- A Superior Labrum Anterior Posterior separation of the labrum from the upper rim of the shoulder cavity.
- Subluxation
- A partial dislocation of a joint in which the bone ends are misaligned but still in contact.
- Subscapularis
- A muscle that rotates the arm inwards.
- Supraspinatus
- A muscle that initiates abduction of the arm.
- Suture anchors
- Small clips which can be used in place of sutures to reattach and reposition damaged parts of the shoulder.
- Syndrome
- A combination of signs and/or symptoms which forms a distinct clinical picture that indicates a particular disorder.
- Symptom
- An indication of a disorder or disease noticed and described by the patient.
- Tendon
- A tough whitish cord, consisting of numerous bundles of collagen fibres, that attaches a muscle to a bone. Tendons assist in concentrating the pull of the muscle on a small area of bone.
- Traction
- Application of a pulling force.