GLOSSARY

ADL - Activities of Daily Living (dressing, bathing, etc.)

AFO - Ankle-foot orthosis: a short leg brace.

Ambulate - to walk.

Anosmia - Loss of the sense of smell.

Anoxia - A lack of oxygen. Brain cells need oxygen to exist. When blood flow to the brain is reduced or when oxygen in the blood is low, brain cells are damaged.

Anterograde Amnesia - Difficulty retaining information after an accident. Difficulty with new learning.

Anticonvulsant - Medication to decrease the possibility of seizures, such as Dilantin, Phenobarbital or Tegretol.

Aphasia - Difficulty expressing or understanding information in any form.

Expressive Aphasia - Difficulty expressing oneself even though one knows what to say.

Receptive Aphasia - Difficulty comprehending spoken language.

Global Aphasia - Combination of expressive and receptive aphasia.

Apraxia - Partial or complete inability to carry out a planned, purposeful sequence of movements, in the absence of paralysis, sensory changes or deficiencies in understanding.

Aspiration - A swallowing problem when food, liquid or secretions enter the lungs.

Assistive Device - Special or modified equipment which assists a disabled person, such as canes, special eating utensils, non-vocal communication devices, etc.

Ataxia - Interruption of smooth muscular movements, characterized by incoordination.

Attention Span - The length of time a person can concentrate upon a task or event.

Bed Mobility - Ability to move oneself on a mat or bed, as by rolling, sitting or lying down.

Bilateral - Both sides (of the body).

Biofeedback - A process in which information is recorded from the patient and then relayed back to that individual so he can change a particular state, such as muscle tone or position.

Brain Scan - An imaging technique in which a radioactive liquid is injected into the blood stream so that pictures of the brain can reveal tumors, blood clots, hemorrhages, or abnormal anatomy.

Catheter - A tube for draining urine; indwelling, inserted into the bladder (Foley) or external, over the penis (condom).

Cerebrospinal Fluid - The liquid which fills the ventricles of the brain and surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Clonus - A sustained series of rhythmic jerks, usually seen in ankles or wrists, caused by the quick stretching of a muscle.

Closed brain injury - Trauma to the head that does not penetrate or fracture the skull, but damages the brain.

Cognition - Understanding and reasoning; the mental faculty or process by which knowledge is acquired; the mental activity that programs, regulates and verifies information.

Cognitive Retraining - Developing or relearning the processes involved in thinking.

Coma - A state of unconsciousness from which the patient cannot be aroused, even by powerful stimulation.

Comprehension - The ability to understand or draw meaning from what is seen (visual comprehension), heard (auditory comprehension), or touched (tactile comprehension).

Concrete Thinking - The ability to understand the similarities between situations, seeing each situation as different; language is interpreted literally.

Continence - Ability to control bowel and bladder functions.

Contracture - Loss of joint motion; stiffness

CT Scan/Computerized Tomography - A series of computerized X rays of the brain at various levels to reveal its structure. This procedure shows the more obvious changes such as a hemotoma.

Decubitus - Breakdown of the skin (commonly called a bed sore).

Dysarthria - Unclear, slurred speech resulting from weakness and/or incoordination of the muscles used to produce speech and sound. ECG/EKG -Monitoring heart rate and rhythm by positioning electrode pads on the patient's chest, which are connected to a monitor.

Electrical Stimulation - Direct application of mild electricity to a muscle or muscles to cause them to contract.

Emotional Lability - Involuntary, uncontrolled laughing or crying.

Extension - Usually means to straighten a joint, as in straightening your knee.

Fine Motor Activities - Complex activities involving the hand such as writing and manipulating small objects.

Flaccid - Lacking muscle tone; flabby.

Flexion - Usually means to bend a joint, as in bending your elbow.

Functional - Ability to use skills in useful activities in a reasonable amount of time.

Gait Training - Instruction in walking, with or without equipment; also called ambulation training.

Gastrostomy Tube (G-Tube) - A feeding tube passed directly into the stomach from a surgical opening in the abdomen.

Gross Motor Activities - Large movements of body parts, as those involved in rolling, sitting up and standing.

Halo - A metal ring used for patients with upper spinal cord injuries which is bolted into and surrounds the patient's head, allowing for proper alignment of the neck and spinal column. In order to prevent further injury to the spinal cord it is important that the patient with a broken spine remain still.

Hemianopsia - Loss of half the visual field in one or both eyes.

Hemiparesis - Lack of muscle control on one side of the body, such as right (R) face, right (R) leg (see Paresis).

Hypertonic - Abnormal increase in muscle tone, or tension.

Hypotonic - Abnormal decrease in muscle tone, or relaxation.

Independent - Ability to perform an activity consistently and safely, in a practical amount of time, without supervision or assistance.

Jejunostomy Tube (J-Tube) - A type of feeding tube surgically inserted into the small intestine.

Memory - The process of recalling or reproducing what has been learned and retained.

1. Short-Term - Recalling information up to 24 hours.
2. Long-Term - Recalling information over a long period of time.

Motor Planning Problem - Difficulty starting, continuing and stopping movements when there is no actual muscle weakness or damage. May affect speech or movement of the arms and legs. Also referred to as Apraxia . (See Perseveration.)

MRI/Magnetic Resonance Imaging - A diagnostic procedure that uses magnetic fields to create pictures of the brain's soft tissue. MRI can provide a more detailed picture than the CT scan.

Nasogastric tube (N/G Tube) - A tube which is passed through the nostril and into the stomach to carry food directly to the stomach.

Non-Purposeful Movement - Movement of any part of the body which has no apparent purpose.

Nystagmus - Involuntary movement of the eyeball.

NPO - To receive "nothing by mouth."

Orientation - Accurate awareness of self, other people, time and place.

O.T. - Occupational Therapy.

Orthosis - Splint or brace used to support, align, and improve function of movable parts of the body. Paralysis - Inability to move a muscle or group of muscles voluntarily.

PA. - Physician Assistant.

Paresis - Lack of control of a muscle or group of muscles; partial or incomplete paralysis.

Perception- Ability to recognize and distinguish objects in the environment, including size, shape, color and distance.

Perceptual Motor - Interaction of vision with motor (muscular) activities such as eye-hand coordination, eating, picking up objects, etc. Perseveration -Uncontrolled, involuntary repetition of speech or activity (See Motor Planning).

Physiatrist - A medical doctor specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

PRE - Progressive Resistance Exercise; a muscle strengthening program.

Premorbid - A term to describe the patient's condition before the injury.

Pressure Area - A sore or reddened area of skin caused by continued pressure, which could eventually develop into a decubitus, or bed sore.

Prosthesis - An artificial limb.

Prone - Lying face down.

Quadriparesis - Lack of control of all four limbs of the body resulting from an injury to the brain (See Paresis).

Range of Motion (ROM) - the range of movement available in a joint, measured by degrees.

1. Passive - When the therapist moves the joint (PROM).
2. Active - When the joint is moved by the patient (AROM).

Reality Orientation (R.O.) - Reviewing with the patient names of familiar persons, places and things. Reflex - An involuntary response to a stimulus, such as a knee jerk.

Rehabilitation - A system of organized treatment that enables an injured person to regain the highest possible degree of mental and physical ability.

Respirator - (see Ventilator)

Retrograde Amnesia - Lack of memory of things that happened just before a brain injury.

Random Movement - An action of moving without obvious reason or purpose.

Seizure - An uncontrolled discharge of nerve cells which may spread to other cells throughout the brain. The sudden attack is usually momentary, but may be accompanied by loss of bowel and bladder control, tremors, and/or aggressiveness.

Selective Attention - Ability to focus attention upon a specific thing or -task for a given amount of time.

Sensation - Information received to the brain through the senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.

Sensory Stimulation - Arousing the brain through any of the senses.

Shunt - A surgically placed tube connected from the ventricles deposits fluid into the abdominal cavity, heart, or large veins of the neck.

Spasm - A sudden, abnormal, involuntary muscular contraction. (See Clonus).

Spasticity - A marked involuntary increase in muscle tone (tension) characterized by hyperactive reflex, resistance to passive movement, clonus, and shortening of the muscle.

Splint - A metal, plaster or plastic support used to position one or more joints properly to reduce muscle tension, increase ROM and/or allow greater use of the body part.

Supine - Lying on one's back.

Strabismus - Uncoordinated movement of the eyes, usually resulting in double vision.

Structure - (Used as a verb) To simplify a task, an activity, information, and the surroundings.

Synergy - Combined action of two or more muscles to form an abnormal pattern of movement. The person cannot move one without the other.

Supervised - The level at which a person is physically able to perform an activity but needs verbal instruction to complete it appropriately.

Tone - The tension in resting muscles and the amount of resistance that is felt when a muscle is moved.

Tracheostomy (Trach) - A surgical opening at the front of the throat providing access the trachea or windpipe.

Transfer - Refers to methods of getting to and from a wheelchair, bed, toilet, etc. using a stand-pivot movement or a sliding board for example.

Ventilator - Equipment that does the breathing for the unresponsive patient. The machinery serves to deliver air in the appropriate percentage of oxygen and at the appropriate rate.

Void - To urinate.