MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM

TERMINOLOGIES

MBHC030
LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
• Human body has many levels of structural organization:
• Chemical (molecular) level= simplest level and consist of atoms
that combine to form molecules.
• Cellular level= different molecules interact to form cells.
• Tissue level=composed of similar cells to perform a specific
function.

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LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION
• Organ level=consist of two or more different tissues that work
together to perform specific functions for the body.
• Organ system level= consist of organs that work together to
accomplish a common purpose.
• Organism= highest level of organisation and consist of several
organ systems that work together to maintain life and health.

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LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

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LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION

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MUSCULOSKELATAL SYSTEM

• The Musculoskeletal system (muscle & skeletal system)

consists of muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, and bone.

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CLASSIFICATION OF MUSCLES

▪ Muscles are classified into three types based on the following criteria:
• Whether it is normally willfully controlled (voluntary vs. involuntary).
• Whether it appears striped or unstriped when viewed under a
microscope (striated vs. smooth or unstriated).
• Whether it is located in the body wall (soma) and limbs or makes up the
hollow organs (viscera, e.g., the heart) of the body cavities or blood
vessels (somatic vs. visceral).

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TYPES OF MUSCLES
• There are three types of muscles:
1. Skeletal striated muscle - is voluntary somatic muscle that makes up the
gross skeletal muscles that compose the muscular system, moving or
stabilizing bones and other structures (e.g., the eyeballs).
2. Cardiac striated muscle is involuntary visceral muscle that forms most of
the walls of the heart and adjacent parts of the great vessels, such as the
aorta, and pumps blood.
3. Smooth muscle (unstriated) is involuntary visceral muscle that forms
part of the walls of most vessels and hollow organs (viscera), moving
substances through pulsations or peristaltic contractions.

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TYPES OF MUSCLE

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NAMING OF SKELETAL MUSCLES
1. Location of the muscle e.g. pectoralis major, temporalis
2. Shape of the muscle e.g. deltoid
3. Size of the muscle e.g. gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus
4. Direction/Orientation of the muscle of fibers/cells e.g. rectus abdominis,
transversus abdominis
5. Number of Origins e.g. biceps brachii, triceps brachii
6. Location of the Attachments e.g. sternocleidomastoid, coracobrachialis
7. Action of the muscle e.g. flexor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis

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ANATOMICAL POSITION
• Anatomical descriptions refer to a specific position – anatomical
position.
• The person is standing erect
• Upper limbs by the sides, palm of the hand facing forward,
thumb pointing away from body
• Lower limbs together, feet are parallel and flat on the floor,
toes facing forward
• Head and eyes facing directly forward
• Supine: lying face upward
• Prone: lying face downward
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ANATOMICAL POSITION
Facing
forward

Standing
erect

Palms
facing
forward

Feet together

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DIRECTIONAL TERMS
Term Definition
Superior (cranial) Towards the head or the upper part of a structure or body; above
Inferior (caudal) Away from the head or towards the lower part of a structure or body; below
Anterior (ventral) Towards or at the front of the body; in front of
Posterior (dorsal) Towards or at the back of the body; behind
Medial Towards the midline; on the inner side of
Lateral Away from the midline; on the outer side of
Proximal Closer to the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk
Distal Farther from the origin of a body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body
trunk
Contralateral Situated on or affecting the opposite side.
Ipsilateral Located on or affecting the same side.
Superficial Towards or at the body surface
(external)
Deep (internal) Away from the body surface; more internally located 14
MOVEMENT CLASSIFICATION OF MSK
TERM DEFINITION
Abduction Is moving a part of the body away from the median plane.
Adduction Is moving a part of the body toward the median plane.
Circumduction Circumduction is moving in a circular motion and involves a combination of flexion,
extension, abduction, and adduction.
Dorsiflexion Is flexion at the ankle joint.
Eversion Eversion is the movement of the sole of the foot outward away from the middle of the
body.
Extension Is increasing the angle between the bones at a joint or parts of the body.
Flexion Is decreasing the angle between the bones at a joint or parts of the body
Hyperextension Extension of the limbs beyond the normal limit.
Protraction Anterior movement of the body in the horizontal plane.

Retraction Posterior movement of the body in the horizontal plane.

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MOVEMENT CLASSIFICATION OF MSK
TERM DEFINITION
Eversion A movement of the foot that turns its sole outward.
Plantar flexion Turns the foot or toes toward the plantar surface.
Pronation Is when the forearm or hand is turned so the palm of the hand is facing posterior.
Medial (internal) Is rotation towards the center of the body.
Rotation
Lateral (external) Is rotation away from the center of the body.
Rotation
Supination Is when the forearm or hand is turned so that the palm of the hand is facing anterior.

Inversion A movement of the foot that turns its sole inward.

Opposition Movement of the thumb toward the palm or fingertips.

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PROCEDURES OF THE MSK
TERMS DEFINITIONS
Arthrocentesis uses a needle to puncture a joint to withdraw fluid. This procedure is used to obtain
samples of the synovial fluid to diagnose a condition.
Arthrography is a method that uses radiography to visualize inside a joint. Also this method uses
radiopaque contrast medium.
Arthroplasty The use of surgery to restore mobility to a painful joint or one with degenerative disease
by reconstruction or replacement.
Arthroscopy The use of an endoscope inserted into a small incision to visualize and examine the inside
of a joint.
Bone Is a method of determining the mass of the bone by measuring the absorption of
densitometry radiation by the skeleton.
Bone graft Is the repair of a skeletal defect by using a piece of bone from one part of the body and
transplanting it to another part of the body.
Bone marrow It is a sponge like material found in the inner cavity of bones.
Bone scan A bone scan is a method that uses an image produced by the emission of radiopaque
particles to visualize the bone. 18
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PROCEDURES OF MSK
TERMS DEFINITIONS
Bone x-ray Uses radiology to find a problem in the bones or joints.
Computed tomography Is a technique that uses radiography to produce an image of the cross
section of tissue.
Dual-energy absorptiometry Is a method used to measure bone density that uses two low dose x-ray
(DEXA) beams at different levels to produce an image.
Electromyogram (EMG) Is a recording of the electrical activity of the skeletal muscle.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Is a procedure used to produce an image by the creation of a magnetic
(MRI) field to give detailed information about the bone.
Percutaneous diskectomy Is an excision of the intervertebral disk through the skin.
(also discectomy)
Prosthesis Is the replacement of a missing body part such as a limb or joint using an
artificial part.

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DISEASES/CONDITIONS OF MSK
TERM DEFINITION
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome a painful disorder of the wrist and hand caused by the compression of the median
nerve.
Dislocation A displacement of a part of the body from its original position.

Fracture A traumatic injury to the bone in which the normal continuity of the bone has been
disrupted.

Kyphosis an abnormal condition of the vertebral column in which there is an increase in the
convexity in the curvature of the thoracic spine.

Lordosis an abnormal condition of the vertebral column in which there is an increase in

concavity in the lumbar spine.
Muscular Dystrophy A genetically transmitted disease resulting from a mutation of the gene that makes
the protein dystrophin that results in progressive atrophy of symmetric groups of
skeletal muscles.
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DISEASES/CONDITIONS OF MSK
TERM DEFINITION

Myalgia Muscle pain.

Myopathy An abnormal condition of the skeletal muscle characterized by muscle weakness

and muscle wasting.

Osteoarthritis A form of arthritis in which one or several joints undergo degenerative changes.

Rheumatoid A form of arthritis that causes chronic inflammation, destruction and deformity of
arthritis the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis has been know to have an autoimmune
component.
Scoliosis An abnormal condition of the vertebral column in which there is a lateral curvature
of the spine.

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