Medical Terminology-Skeletal
This combining form means bone
What is oste/o?
This combining form means muscle.
What is my/o?
This hard, mineralized connective tissue makes up the skeleton.
What is bone? Bone is hard, mineralized connective tissue that supports the body, protects organs, and stores minerals.
This type of muscle is usually under voluntary control and attaches to bones.
What is skeletal muscle? It is usually under voluntary control and attaches to bones, producing movement when it contracts.
This condition involves reduced bone density and increased fracture risk.
What is osteoporosis? It is a disease of low bone density that weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures.
This combining form means joint
What is arthr/o?
This combining form also means muscle and appears in the word muscular.
What is muscul/o?
This type of bone is longer than it is wide and includes the femur.
What is a long bone? Long bones are longer than they are wide; the femur is an example and helps support movement.
This cord of connective tissue attaches muscle to bone.
What is a tendon? A tendon is a strong connective-tissue cord that connects muscle to bone and transmits pulling force.
This term describes a break in a bone.
What is a fracture? A fracture is a break in a bone, ranging from a small crack to a complete break.
This combining form means cartilage
What is chondr/o?
This suffix means development, growth, or nourishment; atrophy describes a decrease in tissue size.
This suffix means development, growth, or nourishment; atrophy describes a decrease in tissue size.
This dense outer bone tissue provides strength and protection.
What is compact bone? Compact bone is dense tissue forming the hard outer layer of bones and provides strength and protection.
This connective tissue attaches one bone to another at a joint.
What is a ligament? A ligament connects bone to bone at a joint and helps stabilize it.
This broad term describes inflammation of one or more joints.
What is arthritis? Arthritis means inflammation of one or more joints and may cause pain, stiffness, and reduced movement.
This combining form can refer to bone marrow or the spinal cord.
What is myel/o?
This suffix means paralysis.
What is -plegia? The suffix means paralysis, or loss of voluntary movement; paraplegia affects both legs.
This process forms new bone tissue; it is also called ossification.
What is bone formation, or ossification? This process creates new bone tissue and is essential for growth, repair, and remodeling.
During contraction, these thin filaments slide past thick filaments within a muscle fiber.
What are actin filaments? These thin filaments slide past thick myosin filaments during contraction, shortening the muscle fiber
This injury is an overstretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon.
What is a strain? A strain is an overstretch or tear of muscle or tendon, often resulting from overuse or sudden force.
This suffix means a cell that breaks down or resorbs bone.
What is -clast? The suffix refers to a cell that breaks down or resorbs tissue; an osteoclast resorbs bone.
This combining form means movement.
What is kinesi/o? It is a combining form meaning movement, as in kinesiology, the study of body movement.
These bone-resorbing cells work with bone-forming cells to continually remodel bone.
What are osteoclasts? These cells break down and resorb bone, working alongside bone-forming osteoblasts to remodel the skeleton.
This neurotransmitter released at the neuromuscular junction initiates an electrical signal in skeletal muscle.
What is acetylcholine? This neurotransmitter carries the signal across the neuromuscular junction and triggers an electrical response in skeletal muscle.
This group of inherited disorders causes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration.
What is muscular dystrophy? This group of inherited disorders causes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration, which can limit mobility over time.