Glossary of Terms

Miscellaneous definitions

Canine exercise Physiology (Galen Natural Progression): a method of assessment and maximizing movement through natural exercises.

Golgi tendon organ: specialized organ within the tendon that reports on the tension or force being exerted through the muscle to the tendon.

Myotherapy: a specialized therapy that accurately assesses and treats muscle pain and enhances muscle function.

Neuromuscular junction (NMJ): the junction of a motor neuron axon terminal with the motor end plate on a muscle; it is where movement is initiated.

Organelle: a specialized subunit within a cell with a specific role, such as mitochondria, which generate most of the cell’s supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a source of energy. They are found in many cell types, but are most numerous within muscle cells.

Proprioception: the sense that indicates where the various parts of the body are located in relation to each other.

Reciprocal inhibition: the mechanism whereby the antagonist (muscle) relaxes while the agonist (muscle) contracts, and vice versa.

Prefixes

A, a – without, lack of, e.g. ataxia Ab – away, e.g. abduction

Ad – towards, e.g. adduction

Ana – apart, e.g. anatomy (taking apart) Ante – before, in front of, forward, e.g.

anteflex (bend forward)

Anti – against, opposing, e.g. antibrachii Auto – self, e.g. autoimmune, automatic Bi – two

Circum – around

Dia – between, through, apart, across, e.g. diameter, diaphragm

Dis – apart from, free from, e.g. dissect

Ecto – outer

Exo – exterior, e.g. exoskeleton End/endo/ent/ento – within, inner, e.g.

endoscope

Extra/extro – outside, e.g. extracurricular, extrinsic

Hyper – extra, e.g. hypertrophy, hyperglycaemic

Hypo – below, deficient, e.g. hypodermic (beneath the skin)

Infra – behind, below, e.g. infraspinatus Inter – between, e.g. intercostals

Intra – within, e.g. intravenous

Intro − into, within, e.g. introversion, introduction

Meso – middle, e.g. mesoderm (middle cell layer)

Meta – change, e.g. metamorphosis Multi – many

Neo – new

Para – beside, beyond, after Peri – around, e.g. periosteum Poly – many

Post – after Pre/pro – before

Re – again, backwards, e.g. retract Retro – behind

Semi – half Sub – below

Supra/super – above, e.g. supraspinatus Sym/syn – together, with, e.g. symbiotic,

synapse

Trans – across, through Ultra – beyond, excess

Suffixes

-oma – tumour, e.g. carcinoma (malignant tumour)

-ac,-al, -ic, -oux, -tic -ous – pertaining to, relating to, e.g. thoracic, tarsal

-algia, -dynia – pain, e.g. neuralgia -ectomy,− removal, e.g. appendectomy -aemia – blood, e.g. leukaemia, anaemia -ent, -er, -ist, -or – person or agent, e.g.

anatomist

-esis, -ia, -iasis, -ism, -ity, -osis, -sis, -tion, -y – state or condition, e.g. lordosis

-form – resembling, shaped like, e.g. fusiform

-itis – inflammation, e.g. arthritis, neuritis, dermatitis

-logy – study of

-penia/paenia – deficiency, lack of -stomy – surgical opening e.g. colostomy

Skeletal terminology

Crest − a ridge of bone, e.g. the occipital crest

Condyle − a rounded projection of bone at a joint, e.g. the femoral condyles Epicondyle − a separate prominence close

to the condyle

Foramen − a natural opening in a bone, through which nerves, blood vessels, and so on pass, e.g. the obturator foramen of the pelvis

Fossa − a hollow or depression, e.g. the olecranon fossa of the elbow

Head − a rounded articular surface, e.g. the head of the femur

Tuberocity − a protuberance of a bone, e.g. the tibial tuberocity

Trochanter − a large rough process of the femur

Trochlea − a depression in the bone where major tendons lie, e.g. the trochlear groove of the knee joint

Tubercle − a rounded process where a muscle inserts, e.g. the greater tubercle of the femur

Muscle names

Externus – outer Gracilis – slender Latissimus – wide Longissimus – long Quadratus – square Rectus – straight

Rhomboideus – kite, diamond-shaped Scalenus – unequal, irregular triangle Serratus – saw-tooth

Teres – round or cylindrical Transversus – across

Vastus – great

Derivation of muscle names

Action, e.g. extensor carpi radialis, adductor

Direction of fibres, e.g. orbicular or obliques

Location, e.g. external obliques Number of sections or heads, e.g. triceps Origin, insertion, e.g. sternomandibulus Shape, e.g. rhomboideus

Movement definitions

Abduct – move away from the midline of the body

Adduct – move towards the midline of the body

Circumduct – move circularly or conically e.g. a function of the coxofemoral (hip) joint

Depress – draw downwards Elevate – draw upwards

Extend – increasing the inner angle of the joint, arch the back dorsally (Hyperextension is when a joint extends beyond 180°.)

Flex – decrease the inner angle of the joint, arch the back upwards

Laterally flex – bend sideways, e.g. turning head and neck

Laterally rotate – rotate outwards Medially rotate – rotate inwards

Pronate – rotate the lateral aspect of the paw medially

Protract – draw forward Retract – draw backwards

Supinate – rotate the lateral aspect of the paw laterally (the normal position of the paw is supine)

Anatomical positioning of muscles

Extrinsic muscles are those that attach the appendicular skeleton (limbs) to the axial skeleton (torso).

Intrinsic muscles are those that attach to the appendicular skeleton but not to the axial, or those that attach to the axial skeleton and not to the appendicular skeleton.

Axial muscles are divided into two groups:

200 Glossary of Terms

Epaxial − muscles that lie dorsal to the transverse processes and are involved with extension of the vertebral column.

Hypaxial − all muscles that lie ventral to the transverse processes of the vertebrae, including the abdominal and thoracic walls.

Muscle roles

Agonist or prime mover − muscle whose contraction causes a specific movement.

Antagonist − muscle which contracts in opposition to the agonist.

Fixator − muscles which stabilize an area for the action of the agonist, e.g. the fixator muscles of the scapula (e.g. m. supraspinatus) and form a firm foundation for movement within the distal thoracic limb.

Reciprocal inhibition − neural inhibition response causing relaxation of the antagonist when the agonist contracts, thus allowing easy movement without any opposing tension.

Synergist − these tend to be the smaller, deeper muscles that work with the agonist to provide isolation and stability to a joint.

Types of muscle movements

Concentric contraction − contraction of muscle fibres in which they are shortened; this is used in protraction, retraction, adduction, and abduction.

Eccentric contraction − lengthening of the muscle fibres under tension, when forces cause the muscle to extend even though the muscle fibres themselves are shortening. Therefore, the muscle develops tension while lengthening, e.g. when landing after a jump, the antagonist contracts, thereby stabilizing the movement.

Isometric contraction − muscle fibres contracting against a fixed resistance in order to provide stability, e.g. when the dog is standing still on a moving platform.

Planes of motion

A plane, here, is an imaginary flat area bisecting the dog’s body (56):

•Frontal plane – divides the body horizontally into upper and lower halves.

•Sagittal plane – divides the body vertically into left and right halves.

•Transverse plane – divides the body vertically into cranial and caudal halves.

Regions of the body

Caudal – part that is nearest to the tail. Cranial – part that is nearest to the head. Distal – part that is furthest away from the

body or organ.

Dorsal – the upper surface of the body or the front surface of the carpus and tarsus.

Palmar – bottom surface of the thoracic limb paw.

Plantar – bottom surface of the pelvic limb paw.

Proximal – part that is nearest to the body or organ.

Rostral – in the head, the part that is closest to the nose.

Ventral – lower surface of the body. This is not used in the limbs, where the terms palmar (front legs) or plantar (back legs) are used.

Regions of the limbs

Antebrachium – part of the thoracic limb between the elbow and the carpus.

Brachium – part of the thoracic limb between the shoulder and the elbow.

Crus – part of the pelvic limb between the stifle and the tarsus.

Manus – distal part of the thoracic limb (includes the carpus, the metacarpus, and the digits).

Pes – distal part of the pelvic limb (includes the tarsus, the metatarsus, and digits).