Activities of daily
living, ADL:
The things you do each day such as getting
dressed, eating and washing yourself
Athetosis or athetoid:
A description of muscles and/or a type of
cerebral palsy that is characterized by tone that changes, patient not
always tight or loose, fluctuating control and position
Basic surgical terms:
See capsulodesis, fractional lengthening and
release
Breakdown:
A wound that results from atypical positioning
or decreased moving, in the hand can be caused from a clenched fist posture,
can occur even if the hand is cleaned daily
Capsulodesis:
Tightening the tissue around a joint to make it
more stable,
Cerebral palsy:
A non-progressive injury to the brain
causing a change in muscular state, control and use
Cosmesis:
The appearance
Dystonia: (See athetosis)
Electomyogram-emg:
A test that evaluates when a muscle is active,
can be useful in identifying which muscles are causing a certain posture or
problem
Flaccidity:
A description of muscles that is characterized
by tone that is low or decreased, patient (or muscle) is often loose or
floppy
Fractional
lengthening:
Surgically cutting a portion of the muscle near
the tendon in order to decrease it’s pull
Hemiplegia:
One side of the body involved, often the upper
extremity is more involved
Hygiene:
Matters concerning bodily cleanliness and
toileting, may include aspects of skin care for patients that cannot move
themselves
Lower extremity:
The legs and feet
Mixed:
Some muscle being spastic and some showing signs
of athetosis, many patients have some degree mixed tone
Quadraplegia:
All four limbs and the trunk (body area) showing
involvement
Range of motion:
How much motion is available at a certain joint
Release:
Surgically cutting a muscle
Spasticity or
spastic:
A description of muscles and/or a type of
cerebral palsy that is characterized by tone that is high or increased,
patient (or muscle) most often tight
Tendon:
The portion of the muscle that connects it to
the bone
Tone:
A description of the resting state muscles,
variations include low (loose feel), average and high (tight feel)
Upper extremity:
The arm and hand
