Physio glossary
The words you meet in the condition pages, explained simply. Each definition cites its source; the condition pages that use the word are listed.
32 words
A
- airway clearance
- Techniques, based mainly on breathing, that help move secretions up and out of the airways.
- Source Airway clearance: active cycle of breathing technique (ACBT), Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation
- anticoagulant
- A medicine that helps prevent blood clots from forming.
- Source Anticoagulant medicines, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:OsteoarthritisHemiplegia after a stroke
B
- brace
- A custom-made support worn around the trunk that holds the spine. Its aim is to help stop the curve of a scoliosis getting worse.
- Source Scoliosis - Treatment in children, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Scoliosis
- breathlessness
- A feeling of difficulty when breathing, also called shortness of breath. Its medical name is dyspnoea.
- Source Managing your breathlessness, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation
- bruise
- A mark that appears when small blood vessels under the skin are damaged.
- Source Bruise advice, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Ankle sprain
C
- cold therapy
- Treatment using cold, which lowers the temperature of the tissues and is used to ease pain and reduce swelling.
- Source Acute Pain Management: Cryotherapy, Physiopedia (new tab)
- In the condition pages:OsteoarthritisAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tearShoulder tendinopathy
E
- electrotherapy
- Use of a weak electrical current, passed through sticky pads placed on the skin, for example to ease pain.
- Source TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:OsteoarthritisCervicalgia (neck pain)Muscle tearLow back pain (backache)Shoulder tendinopathy
- episiotomy
- A cut made by a doctor or midwife during childbirth, in the area between the vagina and the anus (the perineum).
- Source Episiotomy and perineal tears, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Pelvic floor rehabilitation after childbirth
F
- facial nerve
- The nerve that controls the muscles of the face.
- Source Facial Palsy, NHS 111 Wales (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Facial paralysis
H
- haematoma
- A collection of blood under the skin.
- Source Managing a haematoma on your leg with dressings, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Muscle tearAnkle sprain
- hamstrings
- The group of muscles at the back of the thigh.
- Source Hamstring injury, NHS 111 Wales (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
- heat therapy
- Treatment that applies heat to change the temperature of the body’s tissues, with the aim of easing certain symptoms.
- Source Thermotherapy, Physiopedia (new tab)
- In the condition pages:OsteoarthritisCervicalgia (neck pain)Low back pain (backache)
- hydrotherapy
- A physiotherapy programme that uses the properties of water, ideally in a heated pool.
- Source What is hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy?, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Muscle tear
L
- ligamentoplasty
- An operation to repair a ligament, for example by replacing the knee’s anterior cruciate ligament with a graft.
- Source What is ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery?, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
- lymph
- The fluid that flows in the lymphatic system, a network of channels and glands throughout the body.
- Source Lymphoedema, NHS 111 Wales (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Lymphoedema
- lymph nodes
- Small glands, also called lymph glands, that are part of the lymphatic system and help the body fight infection.
- Source Swollen glands, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Lymphoedema
M
- manual lymphatic drainage
- A specialist massage that stimulates the flow of fluid in the lymphatic system, moving it away from swollen areas.
- Source Lymphoedema - Treatment, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Lymphoedema
- muscle tone
- The resting state of the muscles. Normal muscle tone covers a wide range from one person to another.
- Source Low muscle tone: information for parents and carers, Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (NHS Grampian) (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Delayed motor development in children
O
- occupational therapist
- A health professional who helps a person manage everyday tasks they find difficult, for example by finding another way to do them.
- Source Occupational therapy, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Parkinson’s disease
P
- pain-relieving
- Describes a treatment, physical or a medicine, used to ease pain.
- Source TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation), NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:OsteoarthritisCervicalgia (neck pain)Muscle tearAnkle sprainAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tearShoulder tendinopathy
- pelvic floor
- The group of muscles at the bottom of the pelvis that surround the bladder and the urethra.
- Source Urinary incontinence - Non-surgical treatment, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Stress urinary incontinencePelvic floor rehabilitation after childbirth
- pelvic floor rehabilitation
- A programme of pelvic floor muscle exercises, started with a specialist, to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor.
- Source Urinary incontinence - Non-surgical treatment, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Stress urinary incontinencePelvic floor rehabilitation after childbirth
- phlebitis
- Here, a blood clot that forms in a vein, usually in the leg.
- Source DVT (deep vein thrombosis), NHS 111 Wales (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
- proprioception
- The body’s sense of the position of its joints and limbs, and of its own movements.
- Source Proprioception, Physiopedia (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Rehabilitation after a fracture
- pulmonary rehabilitation
- A programme of exercise and education for people with a lung condition, to help them do more exercise before feeling out of breath.
- Source Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - Treatment, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation
Q
- quadriceps
- The muscle at the front of the thigh, made up of four parts, which straightens the knee.
- Source Quadriceps Muscle, Physiopedia (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Knee replacementAnterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
R
- rotator cuff
- A group of muscles and their tendons around the shoulder. It keeps the joint stable and helps raise and rotate the arm.
- Source Rotator cuff tears, The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Shoulder tendinopathy
S
- shoulder girdle
- The collarbone (clavicle) and shoulder blade (scapula) on each side, which together connect the arm to the trunk.
- Source Shoulder girdle: anatomy, movements and function, Kenhub (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Cervicalgia (neck pain)
- speech therapist
- A health professional, also called a speech and language therapist, who helps with speech and swallowing difficulties.
- Source Parkinson’s disease - Treatment, NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Parkinson’s disease
- swelling
- Here, swelling caused by a build-up of fluid in the tissues. Its medical name is oedema.
- Source Swollen ankles, feet and legs (oedema), NHS (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Ankle sprainKnee replacementRehabilitation after a fracture
- synkinesis
- Involuntary facial movements caused by abnormal nerve connections, which can occur after a facial palsy.
- Source Botulinum toxin treatment for synkinesis, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (new tab)
- In the condition pages:Facial paralysis
U
- ultrasound
- Sound-wave vibrations used as a treatment in some physiotherapy sessions.
- Source Therapeutic Modalities, Physiopedia (new tab)
- In the condition pages:OsteoarthritisCervicalgia (neck pain)Muscle tearLow back pain (backache)Shoulder tendinopathy