Sports Injury Terminology
Have you recently been diagnosed with a sports injury? Here at Thrive Healing Massage, we treat a wide range of athletes and everyday people with their sports injuries. If you are currently suffering from chronic or acute pain, or are dealing with a repetitive stress injury, we can help. Our massage treatments can help your sports or stress injury heal faster by rejuvenating your muscles through deep tissue massage.
Often in your diagnosis, sports doctors will use technical words to describe the injury you have obtained. This could leave you feeling very confused. Here at Thrive Healing Massage, we believe it’s very important that you understand the terminology presented to you by your doctor, so we’ve compiled this hand list of the most common sports injury terms and their meanings. If you have a question that is not answered below, feel free to contact us 206-547-5677 and we would be happy to assist you.
A/C Joint or Acromioclavicular Joint
The A/C Joint is the joint located between your collarbone and shoulder blade. It is the joint that gives you the ability to raise your arm above your head.
Acromion
The acromion is the bone at the tip of your shoulder blade.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are essentially the building blocks of protein. You must have enough amino acids in order to perform well in sports or other exercise regiments.
Anemia
Anemia is a condition that forms when there are not enough red cells in the blood.
Anaerobic
Anaerobic is a word that describes exercises like sprinting or weight lifting. Essentially, these exercises are anaerobic because the muscles must perform them without oxygen.
Arthrogram
An arthrogram is an x-ray that is used for joints. A doctor will inject a dye into your joints, which will then show any torn cartilage. However, most hospitals now use an MRI in place of this method.
Biceps
The biceps are the muscles located on the front of your upper arm.
Biceps Femoris
The biceps femoris is one of your hamstring muscles, located on the posterior (the back) thigh.
Bone Scan
A bone scan is a way that doctors can scan your body for stress fractures, using the help of a radioactive dye.
Bursa/ Bursitis
The bursa is a fluid filled sac that works to cushion your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, preventing them from rubbing together. Bursitis is a condition that arises when the bursa becomes inflamed.
Calcaneum
Calcaneum is the technical term for your heel bone.
Cartilage
Cartilage is located in your body and prevents the ends of two parallel bones from rubbing together.
Clavicle
Clavicle is the scientific term for collarbone.
Eccentric
Eccentric is a medical term that means the muscle is working as it lengthens.
Concentric
Concentric means having a common center, but in the medical world refers to muscle working as it shortens.
Congenital
A congenital condition is genetic or was predisposed to you from birth.
Contusion
Contusion is the medical word for bruise, which is the breaking of blood vessels underneath the skin due to impact or trauma.
Costal
Costal means situated close to the ribs.
Deltoids
Your deltoids are the muscles located at the tops of your arms, just below your shoulder.
Hematoma
A hematoma is a pocket of congealed blood, usually discovered when a raised lump appears on the skin. It is much more serious than a bruise or contusion.
Dorsiflex
Dorsiflex is the technical term that means bending your foot and ankle upwards towards the tibia.
Effleurage
Effleurage is a technique used to warm up the area to be massaged. It is also used in the beginning and at the end of a massage. This technique can be used to transition between strokes as well.
Electromyography (EMG)
This process checks to see how well your nerve muscle complex is working.
Extension
Extension is a technical term meaning that you over-straightened your joint.
Facet Joint
A facet joint is a joint located in the spine which serves to join the vertebrae together.
Femur
The femur is the bone located in the thigh.
Fibula
The fibula is the small bone located on the outside of your lower leg. It is actually the lower part of the fibular that forms the outside of the ankle bone.
Flexion
Flexion means the bending of a joint.
Fracture
A fracture is when your break one of your bones wholly or partly through.
Gastrocnemius
The gastrocnemius is a part of your calf muscle.
Humerus
The humerus is the bone that runs throughout your upper arm.
Impingement
Impingement is caused by two surfaces rubbing together that should not come into contact with one another. It usually creates a greater range of movement in the isolated area than what is considered normal.
Loose body
A loose body is a term that refers any fragment of bone or cartilage that has broken off and began floating inside a joint.
Interferential
An interferential is an electrical machine that stimulates muscles and eases pain through heat.
Capsule
The capsule is a lining that links your bones together. It contains a lubricating fluid that keeps your bones from grinding together.
Lateral
Lateral refers to the outer edge of the body.
Prolotherapy
Prolotherapy is the practice of injecting sugar into your ligaments to strengthen them.
Ligament
A ligament is the tissue that links your bones together.
Medial
The medial refers to the inner side of your body.
Metacarpals
The metacarpals are the five bones inside your hand that end with the knuckle.
Referred Pain
Referred pain is pain that happens in another part of the body, away from the actual injured area.
Isometric Exercise
Isometric exercises are recommended for sports injury patients who need to build strength in on particular position. The exercises also test muscle and tendon pain in isolated areas.
Metatarsals
The metatarsals are the five bones inside your foot that end at the toe.
Osteochondritis
Osteochondritis refers to damage throughout your cartilage and bone.
Patella
The patella is your kneecap.
Plantarflex
This term refers to the downward bending movement of your foot and ankle, like pressing down on a cars gas pedal.
Radius
The radius is the forearm bone located on the thumb side.
