The glossary.

The most common diseases and terms of the musculoskeletal system explained simply.

Medical jargon often leaves people feeling confused. That's why we're here to explain the most common musculoskeletal disorders in simple terms. In addition to explanations, you'll also find information on causes, symptoms, and treatment options.

Arthritis.

Arthritis describes an inflammatory joint disease that can lead to damage to the joint surfaces. It must be distinguished from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease that can be accompanied by wear of the articular cartilage. If the joint inflammation occurs suddenly, it is referred to as acute arthritis. If it develops gradually and becomes noticeable again and again, it is referred to as chronic arthritis.

Arthrosis of the knee.

Arthrosis of the knee is also known as gonarthrosis. Read more about this at the following link:

Coxarthrosis.

Coxarthrosis is osteoarthritis in the hip joint and one of the most common forms of joint wear. Many people, especially in advanced age, have wear of the joints and the structures surrounding the joints. However, this wear does not necessarily have to lead to symptoms. On the contrary: the majority of people with joint wear remain largely free of symptoms and are hardly or not at all restricted in everyday life. Joint wear without pain therefore occurs more often than joint wear with pain. Symptoms then occur when, due to overloading, the joint reacts with irritation, inflammation, and swelling, or when the joints are severely affected.

Gonarthrosis.

Gonarthrosis is a degenerative disease characterized by the wear of the cartilage layer of the knee joint. A distinction is made between 2 different types: medial gonarthrosis affects the inner part of the knee joint, and lateral gonarthrosis the outer part. In most cases, this is a so-called “primary osteoarthritis”, which develops due to age-related cartilage breakdown. In the case of congenital malalignments, certain diseases, or injuries that trigger wear of the cartilage mass, this is referred to as “secondary gonarthrosis”.

Herniated disc.

A herniated disc is probably the most overrated musculoskeletal disease. Intervertebral discs are also the buffers of the spine and prevent the vertebral bones from rubbing directly against each other during movement and loads such as walking, running, and jumping. In most cases, however, they can fulfill this task well despite a herniated disc.

Hip joint osteoarthritis.

Hip joint osteoarthritis is also referred to as coxarthrosis. Read more about it under the following link:

Hip osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis in the hip joint is also referred to as coxarthrosis. Read more about it under the following link:

Hollow cross.

The abdomen bulges forward, the shoulder blade backward; the doctor and also the therapist recognizes it at first glance. Both a hollow back (hyperlordosis) and a rounded back (hyperkyphosis) are completely normal variations of the spine.

Hyperkyphosis.

Hyperkyphosis is also colloquially understood as a rounded back. You can find further information about it under the following link:

Hyperlordosis.

Hyperlordosis is also colloquially understood as a hollow back. You can find further information about it under the following link:

Impingement syndrome.

Impingement syndrome, also called bottleneck syndrome, describes a usually painful pinching of tendons or parts of the joint capsule within a joint space. This often leads to a degenerative change of the joint, which is associated with restricted mobility. Impingement syndrome most commonly occurs in the shoulder and hip joint, more rarely in the ankle joint. Approximately 10% of the German population is affected.

Knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis in the knee is also referred to as gonarthrosis. Read more about it under the following link:

Labrum lesion.

A labrum lesion refers to a tear of the joint lip in the hip. Normally, this protrusion of fibrous tissue lines the hip socket and thus acts as a shock absorber. At the same time, the femoral head can glide in the hip socket due to the smooth surface. In a labrum lesion, initially mostly only superficial tears form, which enlarge with recurring load. As a result, the labrum can detach more and more from the rim of the socket, so that the cartilage in the hip socket is exposed. This can then lead to hip osteoarthritis.

Lumbago.

A lumbago, or also lumbalgia, is colloquially also referred to as lumbago. Read more about it under the following link:

Lumbago.

A shot, and then it’s over: whoever the witch hits cannot bend forward or straighten up for days because of pain. Many believe this, but fortunately it does not correspond to the facts at all. In the case of lumbago, known in technical jargon as lumbalgia, lumbago, or lumbar syndrome, it is often a tension of the muscles. This may have been building up over days and does not have to have anything to do with the movement that supposedly triggered the painful lumbago. On the contrary, you have probably moved too little in recent days or used your body too one-sidedly.

Lumbalgia.

Lumbalgia, or also lumbago, is colloquially also referred to as lumbago. Read more about it under the following link:

Muscle soreness.

Muscle soreness usually occurs after unfamiliar, intense physical exertion. This involves microscopic small muscle fiber tears, which are accompanied by bleeding and inflammatory reactions that trigger the pain of muscle soreness. The pain starts only delayed after about 12 to 72 hours and can last up to a week. Muscle soreness is generally not associated with significant permanent damage and results in a regeneration of the muscle structures, which triggers adaptation reactions.

Non-specific back pain.

Most of the time, it just hurts. In 80 percent of cases, the doctor makes the diagnosis of “non-specific back pain”. This diagnosis does not mean that there is no cause for the back complaints. Rather, medical diagnostics do not allow a clear cause, since a variety of factors often influence back pain. Because factors such as unfavorable workload, lack of exercise, emotional stress, dietary habits, overloading, and other aspects play a role in non-specific back pain, experts also speak of so-called “bio-psycho-social” causes of pain.

Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is one of the widespread diseases – and unfortunately it is not a question of age. Excess weight, too little or no exercise, unfavorable dietary habits as well as prolonged incorrect or excessive strain: all of this can lead to osteoarthritis in joints. If pain occurs in joints such as the knee or hip, the thought of osteoarthritis is often close at hand – and of an operation on the affected joint.

Osteochondrosis.

Osteochondrosis is often observed in the back area, especially in symptom-free people as an incidental finding. Behind the medical Greek is the flattening of the intervertebral discs, whereby the bones (“osteo”), the vertebral body, and the cartilage (“chondro”) of the intervertebral discs adapt. This adaptation is shown in an enlargement of the joint surfaces due to the strain. In addition, the intervertebral discs change their elasticity and shape.

Osteoporosis.

Bone loss, doctors say osteoporosis, is an imbalance in the activity of osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which are responsible for the breakdown of bone tissue. Through this build-up and breakdown process, our skeleton is usually renewed every 7 years and adapts again and again to new requirements. If osteoclast activity predominates, the bone becomes porous over time, so that it is no longer able to fulfill its task under lower loads than usual.

Patellar tendinopathy.

Patellar tendinopathy, or colloquially “jumper’s knee”, is a painful, chronic, and degenerative disease at the bone–tendon junction in the area of the kneecap (patella). Patellar tendinopathy is often the result of chronic overloading of the patellar tendon through forced knee extension, as in jumping-intensive and abruptly direction-changing sports (volleyball, handball, basketball, soccer). In addition, internal influences such as reduced flexibility, congenital ligament weakness, or a high-riding kneecap also occur.

Rounded back.

You can find information on the topic of rounded back under the glossary entry 'Hollow back'.

Sciatica.

Sciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve, called “nervus ischiadicus” in technical language, is the longest and, with a diameter of 1.5 cm, also the thickest nerve in humans. It is composed of the spinal nerves of several vertebral segments from the 4th lumbar vertebra to the 3rd sacral vertebra. The sciatic nerve is the only nerve that supplies the lower leg.

Spondylolisthesis.

Spondylolisthesis is colloquially referred to as 'vertebral slippage'. Under the following link you will find further information about it:

Vertebral slippage.

A frequently greatly overrated myth in musculoskeletal complaints is the so-called vertebral slippage, also known as spondylolisthesis. In this vertebral slippage, a vertebral body slips forward (anterolisthesis) or backward (retrolisthesis).