Terminology for Neuromuscular Conditions
Image is of a physical therapist assistant working with a RN
in the care of a person with a neurological health condition
Key terms for understanding descriptions of neuromuscular conditions are listed below. They are used throughout your text resources and in medical records. Refer to this list during lecture presentations and course reading in order to differentiate between signs and symptoms of neurological and neuromuscular conditions
Terms associated with impairments and dysfunction of the neuromuscular system
- Agnosia = inability to interpret sensory input
- Akinesia = inability to voluntarily initiate movement
- Allodynia = pain from non-noxious stimulus (e.g., touch)
- Analgesia = loss of pain/sensitivity
- Areflexia = loss of spinal reflexes
- Arousal = readiness of the human system for activity
- Aphasia = inability to produce functional (expressive) or integrate (receptive) speech
- Apraxia = inability to perform skilled purposeful movements
- Ataxia = lack of coordination
- Attention = selective awareness of the environment or responsiveness to a stimulus or task without being distracted by other stimuli
- Athetosis = slow, involuntary, writhing, twisting movement
- Balance = all forces acting on a body so that the center of mass is within the base of support
- Bradykinesia = decreased amplitude and velocity of movement; slowed movements
- Causalgia = painful burning sensation
- Chorea = involuntary, continuous, rapid, irregular and jerky movements
- Clonus = series of involuntary muscle contraction in response to a stretch
- Cognition = process of knowing, includes awareness and judgment
- Dementia = broad based memory impairment
- Dermatome = skin area of sensation supplied by one dorsal root
- Diplopía = double vision
- Dysarthria = impairment of speech articulation (speech errors in volume, pitch, quality)
- Dysdiadochokinesia: A patient's inability to perform rapidly alternating movements: example inability to alternate between heel and toe rocking in a seated position,
- Dysesthesia = impairment of sensation where touch is perceived as pain
- Dyskinesia = over activity of muscles
- Dysmetria = impairment judging distance or range of a movement
- Dysphagia = impairment of strength and coordination of chewing and swallowing
- Dystonia = involuntary adoption of abnormal postures
- Fasciculation = small, local, involuntary twitch contraction
- Festinating = shuffling pattern
- Flaccidity = absence of strength, muscular activation
- Hemianopsia = loss of half of the visual field
- Hemiparesis = weakness on one side of the body/limb
- Hyperalgesia = increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli
- Hyperreflexia = exaggerated responses of spinal reflexes
- Hypertonia = increase in muscle tone
- Hypokinesia = reduction of movement
- Hypotonia = decrease in muscle tone
- Incomplete = partial innervations remains distal to spinal cord lesion
- Limits of stability (LOS) = maximum distance an individual is willing to lean in any direction without LOB or changing the BOS
- Neglect = inattention to or lack of awareness of one side
- Neuralgia = pain associated with nerve inflammation
- Neuropathic = result of nervous system/tissue pathology
- Nystagmus = rhythmic, quick alternating movements of the eyes
- Quadriplegia = weakness in all four extremities
- Reflex = involuntary, predictable, specific response to a stimulus
- Rigidity = resistance to passive movement of the limb
- Spasticity = hypertonic resistance to passive stretch
- Somatosensory = sensation received from the skin and neuromuscular system
- Orientation = awareness of time, person, place
- Paraplegia = weakness in the lower part of the trunk or legs
- Parasthesia = abnormal sensation (numbness, prickling, etc) without apparent cause
- Paresis = weakness
- Posture = the control of relative position of parts by skeletal muscles with respect to each other and gravity
- Proprioception= joint position sense
- Thermanalgesia = inability to perceive heat
- Thermanesthesia = inability to perceive hot/cold
- Tremor = involuntary oscillating contraction from opposing muscle groups
- Vegetative = No conscious interaction; reflexive; sleep-wake cycles
- Vertigo = sensation of dizziness
Definition of Coordination
1. Muscle groups working together to perform a task during a voluntary movement (timing, accuracy, sequence) = synergy.
2. Level of skill and efficiency of movement with the nervous system as a key variable.
3. Start, control and stop muscle activity according to activity/environment demand with the nervous system as a key variable to accomplish the task.
