O-P-R

OA  Acronym for osteoarthritis.

occupational exposure  Contact with an infected person or agent because of occupational duties.

opioid  A non-opium-derived narcotic that occurs naturally in the body and decreases the sensation of pain.

opportunistic infections  Diseases that occur when the body's resistance to infection is low.

osteoarthritis  Chronic disease involving degeneration of joints.

osteoblast  A cell that produces bone.

osteophytes  A bony outgrowth that often occurs near joints.

oxidative killing  Aerobic destruction of a substance or bacteria acted upon by an enzyme, with production of energy and water.

pacinian corpuscle  Encapsulated sensory nerve endings that are sensitive to deep or heavy pressure and vibration.

palliative  Relieving severity, intensity, or symptoms, but not a cure.

pallor  Lack of color or paleness of skin.

palpation  Examining the body by application of hands or fingers to the surface of the body.

pandemic  A disease affecting the majority of a population in a large geographic region.

paralysis  Loss or impairment of voluntary muscle function.

paresis  Incomplete loss of voluntary muscle function.

paresthesia  Abnormal sensation of burning, tickling, or tingling sometimes referred to as a feeling of pins and needles.

passive exercise  The force needed to move a body part is provided entirely by a therapist, a mechanical device, or one of the patient's other body parts.

passive movement  Movement of a body part that is caused entirely by external forces such as those provided by a therapist or machine.

pathogen  A disease causing microorganism such as HIV.

pathogenesis  The pathologic mechanism that results in development of a disease, illness, or morbid process.

pathology  Condition or manifestation produced by disease.

PCP  Abbreviation for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, the most serious opportunistic infection associated with AIDS.  Though patients may be only slightly febrile, extreme weakness, labored breathing (dyspnea), and slight bluish or purplish discoloration of skin (cyanosis) are common.

percussion  Tapping sharply on the body to determine position, size, and consistency of underlying structures.

periosteum  A fibrous connective tissue membrane that covers bone.

patellar reflex  A leg jerk caused by the involuntary contraction of the quadriceps muscle when the patellar tendon is sharply struck.

phagocyte  A cell that can ingest and destroy foreign particulate matter such as microorganisms or antigens coated with antibodies.  Microphages ingest mainly bacteria while macrophages ingest dead tissue and present antigens to T-helper lymphocytes.

phagocytosis  The process of ingestion and digestion of solid substances by phagocytic cells.

physiatrist  A doctor specializing in physical medicine.

piezoelectricity  Electric currents generated by pressure upon certain crystals such as quartz or calcite (bone).

pilomotor  Pertaining to the arrector muscles that cause hairs to move or stand erect (goose flesh).

PIP  Acronym for proximal interphalangeal joint.

placebo  Any substance or procedure that produces an effect because the patient expects or believes that the effect will occur.

plastic  Having the property of not returning to the original shape after being stretched, compressed, or otherwise distorted.

plyometrics  Exercises that use a stretch-contract sequence of movement to increase explosive power.

PNF  Acronym for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.

prone  Lying horizontal with face down, opposite of supine.

proprioceptor  A receptor within the body that responds to pressure, position, or stretch.

proteoglycans  The extracellular matrix of connective tissue composed of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) bound to protein chains.

proximal  Situated nearest the center of the body.

psychogenic  Created by the mind.

pyogenic  Related to pus formation.

pyrogen  A substance that produces or causes a rise in fever.

RA  Acronym for rheumatoid arthritis.

radiation  The transfer of heat from objects by electromagnetic rays that can travel through a vacuum.

radiculitis  Inflammation of a spinal nerve root, especially the portion of the root that lies between the spinal cord and spinal canal, accompanied by pain and increased sensitivity to touch.

range of motion  The maximal span of a joint as measured by angular displacement between two adjacent segments.

Raynaud's disease  A vasospastic peripheral vascular disorder that causes excessive vasoconstriction when extremities are exposed to cold.

reaction  Response to brief hot or cold stimulus (heat sedates and cold stimulates).

rebound tenderness  Pain or discomfort when pressure is released.

recruitment  Activating additional motor units to produce greater activity as the intensity of stimulus remains constant and the duration of stimulus increases.

reflex  An involuntary response to stimulus.

reflexogenic  Producing, increasing, or causing a reflex action.

relative humidity  The ratio between the amount of water vapor present and the amount possible for the temperature (complete saturation is 100%).

remodeling  The reshaping of an injured part or area during wound healing.

resistive exercise  The force needed to move a body part is provided entirely by the voluntary contraction of muscles that normally control the body part and resistance to the movement is supplied by some external force.

retrovirus  A large group of RNA viruses that include HIV.

rheumatoid arthritis  A form of arthritis involving inflamma­tion of joints, stiffness, and swelling.

RICE  Acronym for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

RNA  Abbreviation for ribonucleic acid.

ROM  Acronym for range of motion.

RSD  Acronym for reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

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