Foundations & The Surface
In the sports med clinic, this term refers to the body standing upright, feet forward, and palms facing anteriorly.
What is the anatomical position?
These structures connect bone to bone to provide stability to a joint like the knee or ankle.
What are ligaments?
This tough band of fibrous connective tissue connects a muscle to a bone, such as the Achilles.
What is a tendon?
This organ is the primary control center of the nervous system and is the focus of concussion protocols in sports.
What is the brain?
These tiny air sacs in the lungs are where the actual exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.
What are alveoli?
An athletic trainer would use this directional term to describe a wound located closer to the trunk of the body than the elbow.
What is proximal?
This skeleton division includes the skull, vertebral column, and thoracic cage, forming the central axis of the body.
What is the axial skeleton?
In sports medicine, this "S" word describes an injury involving a stretched or torn muscle or tendon.
What is a strain?
This division of the nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord.
What is the Central Nervous System (CNS)?
This is the primary muscular pump of the cardiovascular system, located within the thoracic cavity.
What is the heart?
This body plane divides an athlete into right and left halves, commonly used to describe the motion of a bicep curl.
What is the sagittal plane?
This type of chronic bone injury is common in runners and results from repetitive loading rather than a single traumatic event.
What is a stress fracture?
This muscle type is under voluntary control and is the primary focus of strength and conditioning programs.
What is skeletal muscle?
Often called the "fight or flight" response, this part of the autonomic nervous system increases heart rate during a big game.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
These blood vessels carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the rest of the body.
What are arteries?
This is the body’s largest organ system, responsible for thermoregulation through sweating during intense exercise.
What is the integumentary system?
These bone-forming cells are highly active during the healing process after an athlete suffers a fracture.
What are osteoblasts?
This term describes the wasting away or decrease in muscle size often seen in an athlete's limb after being in a cast for several weeks.
What is atrophy?
This traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function.
What is a concussion?
This chronic inflammatory disease of the airways can cause an athlete to experience shortness of breath and wheezing during exercise.
What is asthma?
This skin condition, often found in wrestling or contact sports, is a highly contagious bacterial infection characterized by honey-colored crusts.
What is Impetigo?
Often seen in older patients in PT, this skeletal disease process involves a decrease in bone mineral density, making bones porous and fragile.
What is osteoporosis?
During a muscle contraction, this is the functional unit of a myofibril where the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other.
What is a sarcomere?
This chronic autoimmune disease involves the destruction of the myelin sheath, affecting the transmission of nerve impulses to the muscles.
What is Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?
This term refers to high blood pressure, a "silent killer" that can damage the cardiovascular system over time.
What is hypertension?