Pain-blocking chemicals produced by the
body.
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F
facet joints
Joints formed by the interlocking of bony
projections at the rear of adjacent vertebrae.
femur
Refers to the thighbone.
flexion
A forward bending of the spine.
foramina
Spaces between adjacent vertebrae.
fracture
A break in a bone caused by injury or osteoporosis.
hemiarthroplasty
An operation to repair hip fracture
that involves replacing the head and neck of the femur
with a prosthesis.
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G
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H
herniated disk
Bulging of the central part of an intervertebral
disk (nucleus pulposus) through the fibrous layers
of tissue (annulus fibrosus) that cover it.
hip replacement
Surgery to implant an artificial hip
joint to replace a damaged hip joint. (See also total hip
replacement, hemiarthroplasty, and internal fixation.)
hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
The administration
of low-dose estrogen with or without progesterone to
reduce the symptoms and rapid loss of bone that accompany
menopause in women. Women who have had a hysterectomy
do not need to take progesterone.
hyperparathyroidism
Excessive production of parathyroid
hormone by the parathyroid gland; it weakens bones
by promoting loss of calcium from bone.
hyperthyroidism
Excessive production of thyroid hormone
that can result in osteoporosis.
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I
intermittent claudication
Pain in the buttocks, thighs, or
calves while walking. The pain, caused by impaired blood
flow to the legs, stops promptly when the person rests.
The pain of spinal stenosis may be confused with intermittent
claudication.
internal fixation
An operation to repair a hip fracture
that involves inserting metal screws into the bone to hold
it together while it heals.
intervertebral disk
Flexible pad of tissue located between
vertebrae that acts as a cushion during movement,
preventing vertebrae from grinding against each other.
intradiskal electrothermal therapy
A minimally invasive
procedure in which the nerves in the outer wall of the
disk are destroyed with a heated wire.
ipriflavone
Synthetic isoflavone (structurally similar to
isoflavones found in soy) that may prevent or treat osteoporosis.
isoflavone
A plant compound found in soy foods that
has weak estrogen-like activity.
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J
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K
kyphoplasty
A new technique for treating vertebral
compression fractures in which the collapsed vertebra is
expanded using a special balloon and then filled with
cement.
kyphosis
An abnormal accentuation of the usual curvature
of the upper back and commonly referred to as a
humpback or hunchback.
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L
lactose intolerance
An inability to digest the naturally
occurring sugars in dairy foods.
laser diskectomy
Surgical treatment for a herniated disk
that uses a laser to burn out the inside of the disk; it is a
less invasive alternative to diskectomy.
lordosis
Spinal deformity in which the abdomen is
thrust too far forward and the buttocks too far to the rear;
also called swayback.
lumbar spine
The lower back.
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M
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
A sensitive imaging
technique that surrounds a person with a powerful magnet
while radio waves are passed through the body.
massage therapy
A therapy used to ease tension and
relax back muscles.
microdiskectomy
A surgical treatment for a herniated
disk that is done through a very small opening, it is a less
invasive alternative to diskectomy.
muscle relaxants
Drugs that work by depressing the
activity of nerves in the spinal cord and brain; they are
used with caution as they cause drowsiness and are potentially
addictive.
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N
nerve conduction test
A test that examines nerve function.
n-teleopeptides
A by-product of the breakdown of bone
that can be measured in urine tests.
nucleus pulposus
The central part of an intervertebral
disk that, as a person ages, slowly loses its water content
and shrinks.
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O
open laminectomy
A surgical procedure for a herniated
disk in which a small part of the vertebra is removed.
opiates
Drugs that depress the nervous system to block
the perception of pain. As they are potentially addictive
and have many side effects, they are used for back pain
only when all other options have failed.
osteoblasts
Cells that fill small cavities in the bone surface
with new bone during bone formation.
osteoclasts
Cells that invade the surface of bone and
remove the matrix and minerals, leaving small cavities in
the bone surface during bone resorption.
osteomalacia
A softening of bone that results from a
lack of the essential minerals calcium and phosphorus.
osteopenia
Low bone mass.
osteophyte
A bony overgrowth, or spur.
osteoporosis
A disease marked by progressively decreasing
bone mass; it results in weakened, brittle bones that
can fracture easily.
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P
Paget’s disease
A condition characterized by excessive
overgrowth of bone, especially in the spine, pelvis, skull,
and femur.
palliative treatment
Therapy aimed at relieving pain
and limiting disease complications rather than curing the
disease.
parathyroid hormone
Hormone of the parathyroid
gland that regulates calcium and phosphorus metabolism
throughout the body.
pelvis
Basin-shaped structure in the lower part of the
trunk composed of the two hipbones, tailbone (coccyx),
and lower backbone (sacrum).
percutaneous arthroscopic diskectomy
Surgical treatment
for a herniated disk that is less invasive than diskectomy;
the procedure involves inserting a probe into the
disk to scoop it out.
percutaneous vertebroplasty
A minimally invasive technique
to treat vertebral compression fractures that
involves the injection of cement into the fractured vertebra.
perimenopause
The time immediately before
menopause begins.
peripheral dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry
A bone
density test that is similar to DEXA and uses a portable
machine to measure bone density in the finger, wrist, or
heel.
peripheral quantitative computed tomography
A bone
density test that is similar to QCT (see below) and measures
bone density in the wrist.
peripheral sites
Bone sites other than those central to
the body (spine and hip), such as the wrist, heel, and finger.
processes
Bony projections jutting out from the rear of
a vertebra.
pulmonary embolism
A blood clot that blocks one of
the blood vessels in the lungs.
pyridinium cross-links
A product created by the breakdown
of bone that can be measured in urine tests.
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Q
quantitative computed tomography (QCT)
A test used
to determine vertebral density by measuring the absorption
of radiation by bone.
quantitative ultrasound
A technique that uses sound
waves to measure bone density in peripheral sites.
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R
radiographic absorptiometry
A technique that uses xrays
to measure bone density in the hand.
relaxation therapy
Treatment that teaches techniques
of muscle relaxation and breathing so that a person can
deal better with stress, a possible cause of back pain.
resistance exercise
A type of exercise that entails working
muscles against weights.
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S
sacroiliac joints
Joints on either side of the sacrum that
join the sacrum to the other bones of the pelvis.
sacrum
The flat, triangular bone formed by the fusion
of the lowest 5 vertebrae.
sciatic nerve
The nerve arising from the lower spine
that extends into the leg and foot.
sciatica
Pain that radiates into the buttocks, down the
thighs, and into the calves, and often into the feet; the
pain is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve.
scoliosis
An abnormal sideways bend to the back caused
by twisting of the spine.
secondary osteoporosis
Osteoporosis caused by certain
medications or other diseases.
selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS)
A class
of drugs that mimic the actions of estrogen in some tissues
and block the effects of estrogen in others.
sensory-evoked potential
A test to examine nerve function.
sequestration
A condition in which fragments of a herniated
disk break free.
single-energy x-ray absorptiometry
A test used to measure
bone density in the wrist or heel, similar to DEXA,
except that it uses one x-ray beam.
spasm
A sudden, involuntary muscle contraction that
produces pain; spasms can occur when a muscle or ligament
in the back is torn or when a disk or facet joint is
injured.
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T
trochanter
Part of the femur that protrudes below the
bone’s neck.
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U
ultrasound
The use of high-frequency sound waves to
detect osteoporosis and predict the risk of fractures.
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V
vertebra, vertebrae (pl.)
Any of the 33 interlocking
bones that form the spinal column.
vertebral compression fracture
Collapse of the front of
a vertebra, often producing immediate and intense pain
in the area of the fracture; it can be caused by even minor
trauma in a vertebra weakened by cancer, osteoporosis,
Paget’s disease, or hyperparathyroidism.
vertebral osteomyelitis
A serious bacterial infection of
the spine that can cause pain in the neck or back and is
usually accompanied by fever.
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W
weight-bearing exercise
Exercise such as walking, jogging,
or stair climbing, in which the bones of the feet,
legs, and spine bear the body’s weight.
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X
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Y
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Z
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Derived from
The Johns Hopkins White Paper 2007: Back Pain and Osteoporosis
Look In the Book: Back Pain and Osteoporosis
copyright 2007 Johns Hopkins Health Alerts.
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