I am posting a medical terminology of the day. Interesting and random medical words. Let me know what you think or if you have an interesting word I should post.
February 17th: Spinal stenosis:
Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of one or more areas in your spine — most often in your upper or lower back. This narrowing can put pressure on your spinal cord or on the nerves that branch out from the compressed areas.Spinal stenosis can cause cramping, pain or numbness in your legs, back, neck, shoulders or arms; a loss of sensation in your extremities; and sometimes problems with bladder or bowel function. Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by osteoarthritis-related bone damage.Mild symptoms of spinal stenosis are often helped by pain relievers, physical therapy or a supportive brace. In more serious cases of spinal stenosis, doctors may recommend surgery.
February 13th: Radiculopathy:
As I have described previously in this post, I am going in for back surgery on February 17th. This word of the day is very relevant to my situation. Although the six steroid shots I have had in the past two months have helped, it is still a problem.
Radiculopathy is not a specific condition, but rather a description of a problem in which one or more nerves are affected and do not work properly (a neuropathy). The emphasis is on the nerve root (Radix = “root”). This can result in pain (radicular pain), weakness, numbness, or difficulty controlling specific muscles.In a radiculopathy, the problem is at or near the root of the nerve, along the spine. However, the pain or other symptoms may manifest in an extremity through a process called referred pain. For example, a nerve root impingement in the neck can produce pain and weakness in the forearm. Polyradiculopathy is the name of the term for describing more than one spinal nerve roots are affected.
February 12th: Osteomyelitis:
Osteomyelitis is a bone infection caused by various bacteria, and usually occurs in severe fractures when bone is exposed to open air. Although Acinetobacter baumannii rarely causes OM in the United States, it is very prevalent in the Middle East, and is now present in more than 30 percent of soldiers recovering from open fractures in field hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan. Past studies have established that one in four severe war wounds in Iraq is a fracture, more than 80 percent of which are open, where the bone is exposed to airborne bacteria.
February 11th, 2009: Tarantism:
Do you know someone who just dances for days, they could have this disease.<p>Tarantism: A disease once thought to result from the bite of the tarantula spider. This extraordinary affliction was associated with melancholy, stupor, madness and an uncontrollable desire to dance. In fact, dancing off the tarantula venom was considered the only cure. The dancing was violent and energetic and went for 3 or4 days.In the 15th to 17th centuries, the city of Taranto in southern Italy was the center of tarantism which spread across most of southern Europe. The term “tarantism” (also called tarantismo or tarantolismo) comes from the town of Taranto. The large and very venomous tarantula is also named for the city of Taranto.
February 10th, 2009: Microdiscectomy:
I thought I would place a few spine related words into the world of the day column since I am going for back surgery on February 17th, 2009. I hope to put informative information about this process into my blog. The word of the day is about my surgery.
In a microdiscectomy or a microdecompression, a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and some of the disc material from under the nerve root is removed to relieve pressure on the nerve and provide room for the nerve to heal. A microdiscectomy is typically performed for lumbar herniated disc and is more effective in relieving symptoms of leg pain than for low back pain.
February 9th, 2009: Gnathostoma:
A disease due to the migration of an immature roundworm called Gnathostoma. Migration just under the skin causes migratory, painful, itchy swellings. Migration to other tissues can result in cough, blood in the urine, eye involvement and, most seriously, meningitis and encephalitis.People become infected by eating undercooked fish or poultry or drinking water containing the worm’s larvae.
Once mainly in Asia, this worm has emerged as an important parasite in Mexico. Removal and identification of the worm is both diagnostic and therapeutic. Treatment is surgical removal and use of the antiparasitic drug albendazole.
