Bones, Muscles, & Joints Glossary
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Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injuries: The anterior cruciate ligament (an-TEER-ee-ur KRU-shee-ate LIG-uh-ment) is one of four ligaments in your knee. It's behind your kneecap, keeping your knee stable and your shinbone from moving too far forward. An ACL injury happens when you tear this ligament and have trouble walking or playing sports.
Arthritis (ar-THRY-tis): This is what happens when joints — the places where bones meet — get painful, swollen, and stiff. People with arthritis may find it painful to move their joints. Arthritis can happen when someone loses some of the flexible cushion between the bones called cartilage. You may know some older people with the condition. Kids who have arthritis may have an infection, Lyme disease, lupus, or juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
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Cartilage (KAR-tul-ij): Touch the tip of your nose or the top of your ear — that's cartilage. This strong, flexible connective tissue supports and protects bones. It's bendable, not hard like bone, and is found in various parts of your body, including between bones so they don't rub together.
Cast: If you ever break a bone, you'll probably need a cast to hold the pieces of bone steady while they're healing. Casts wrap around the broken area and can be made out of plaster, fiberglass, or even plastic and air (called an air cast). If you get a cast, keep it away from water the entire time it's on. Even though a cast may look and feel a little clumsy, it lets your broken bone grow back together again, and that's pretty important! After you're better, the doctor will take the cast off, which doesn't hurt at all.
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Dislocation (dis-lo-KAY-shun): We all have places on our bodies that bend, called joints. A dislocation is when one or more bones at a joint moves out of place. A bone can get pulled out of its joint from a fall or some other accident. To fix it, a doctor has to put the bone back into the joint and let it heal.
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Fracture (FRAK-chur): When a bone breaks, it's called a fracture. If you ever hurt yourself and think you might have a fracture, don't move! Wait until someone comes to help you because fractures only get worse when they're moved around. Usually, a doctor will put a cast around the fracture to protect the area and help it heal.
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Gluteus Maximus (GLOO-tee-us MAK-suh-mus): You don't have to look too far for this body part — you're likely sitting on it! This is the fancy name for the muscles of your rear end.
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Joints: Joints are the places in your body where bones meet. You have big joints (like the ones in your hips, shoulders, and legs) and itty, bitty ones (like the ones in your hands and feet). Your knee is a joint and so are all the bendy parts of your fingers!
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Ligaments (LIH-geh-mints): Like to throw, catch, dance, or play soccer? You can thank your ligaments for making it happen. Ligaments are tough bands of tissue that hold your bones together at your joints, like your elbow. They make it possible for you to bend and move in all the right ways.
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Myalgia (my-AL-juh): Your muscles help you move and keep you standing, walking, and running. But sometimes muscles or groups of muscles can hurt. This is called myalgia. Muscle injuries or overuse are the most common causes of myalgia. Certain medical conditions or infections like the flu also can cause muscles to ache. Resting the muscles will usually make the pain go away.
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Orthopedic Surgeon (or-tho-PEE-dik SUR-jun): Some doctors know a lot about all kinds of medical problems. Other doctors are "specialists" who focus on one particular type of medical problem. Orthopedic surgeons (also called orthopedists) are specialists who treat injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which includes your muscles, bones, and joints. They can put on casts and do operations, and also can recommend exercises and ways to prevent injuries.
Osteoporosis (oss-tee-oh-puh-ROH-sis): Ever wonder why grown-ups are always telling you to drink milk? It's because your bones need the calcium in milk and other foods to grow strong. This is important because the time to build your bones is when you're young. After about age 19, bones naturally become less dense. People with osteoporosis have bones that are weakened from this loss of bone density, and as a result, their bones may break easily.
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Rheumatologist (roo-muh-TOL-uh-jist): This special kind of doctor deals with rheumatological problems — that's the big name for conditions that involve swelling and pain in muscles and joints. Rheumatologists help kids who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis, lupus, and more.
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Scoliosis (sko-lee-OH-sis): Scoliosis is an abnormal curve of the spine, also known as the backbone. Most scoliosis is mild, but for kids who need it, back braces and special surgery usually can help.
Sprain (sprane): Bones meet at joints, such as elbows, knees, or shoulders. That's where your body bends and rotates. Strong bands of tissue, called ligaments, hold bones together at the joints. A sprain happens when those ligaments are stretched too far or tear. Ankles, wrists, and knees sprain easily.
Strain (strane): Muscles contract and relax (almost like rubber bands) to help your body move. A strain is when a muscle gets stretched too far. It's common for people to strain the muscles in their backs, necks, or legs.
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Tendons (TEN-dunz): For keeping things together, tendons come in handy! These special cords made of tough tissue attach your body's muscles to your bones.
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Vertebrae (VER-tuh-bray): Reach around and feel those bumps in the center of your back. Each bump is a bone called a vertebra (say: VER-tuh-brah) and there are 33 vertebrae that make up your spine. Without your vertebrae, you couldn't stand tall!