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Acetabulum |
Literally, ‘the
cup’ in Latin. The acetabulum is the ‘socket’ of the ball
and socket hip joint. It is made of the three bones of the
pelvis and is covered with gliding cartilage called
articular cartilage. The ball of the hip joint, the femoral
head moves within the acetabulum. |
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American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons |
The American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons provides education and practice
management services for orthopaedic surgeons and allied
health professionals. The Academy also serves as an advocate
for improved patient care and informs the public about the
science of orthopaedics.
Members of the Academy,
called "fellows," are orthopaedists concerned with the
diagnosis, care, and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders.
The orthopaedist's scope of practice includes disorders of
the body's bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.
Fellows have completed four years of medical school and at
least five years of an approved "residency" in orthopaedics.
In addition, they must pass a comprehensive oral and written
examination, be certified by the American Board of
Orthopaedic Surgery, and submit to stringent membership
review processes prior to admittance to the Academy. |
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American
Board of Orthopaedic Surgery |
The American Board of
Orthopaedic Surgery establishes educational standards for
orthopaedic residents and evaluates the initial and
continuing qualifications and knowledge of orthopaedic
surgeons. |
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Arthritis |
Arthritis is the number one
cause of chronic disability in the United States. Affecting
nearly 40 million Americans, it refers to more than 100
diseases that cause pain, stiffness and swelling from the
inflammation of a joint or the area around joints. |
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Arthroplasty |
Arthroplasty is surgery to
relieve pain and restore the function of a malformed or
degenerated joint by realigning or reconstructing it. |
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Articular cartilage |
The tough, elastic tissue
that covers the ends of bones in joints and enables the
bones to move smoothly over one another. When it is damaged
through injury or a lifetime of use, it does not heal as
rapidly or effectively as other tissues in the body.
Instead, the damage tends to spread, allowing the bones to
rub directly against each other and resulting in pain and
reduced mobility. |
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Avascular necrosis |
Death of tissue due to
depletion of blood supply. |
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Extension |
To straighten
out. Extension in the context of a knee describes the motion
of the knee when it is straightened out from a bent
position. The knee is said to be in full extension when the
thigh bone or femur is directly centered over the top of the
leg bone or tibia. Extension in the context of a hip joint
is the motion one moves the hip (backwards) in preparing to
kick a ball. The foot moves backwards as the hip is
extended. |
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FAAOS |
Fellow of the
American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Members of the
Academy are called "fellows." |
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Femoral condyle |
The lower end of
the femur is comprised of two large projections of bone
called femoral condyles. The femoral condyles together have
the typical appearance of the classic ‘dog bone’, and meet
the upper portion of the leg bone to form the knee joint.
The femoral condyles are covered with gliding cartilage
called articular cartilage. |
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Femoral head |
The top of the
thigh bone or femur is called the femoral head. It is a
rounded ball of bone that is covered by smooth gliding
cartilage called articular cartilage. It fits in to the
socket of the hip joint called the acetabulum. The femoral
head is connected to the thigh bone by a section of bone
called the femoral neck. |
|
Femoral neck |
The section of
bone to the upper thigh bone or femur that connects the
longest portion of the thigh bone to the femoral head. This
is a frequent site of fractures in older patients who fall
and ‘break their hips’. |
|
Femur |
The thigh bone.
This is the largest of the long bones of the extremities.
It connects the pelvis to the leg through the hip and knee
joint. |
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Flexion |
To bend.
Flexion in the context of a knee joint describes the motion
of the knee when the knee bends. In the context of the hip
joint, flexion is the movement of the hip when the knee
moves up toward the chest. |
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Inflammatory arthritis |
A
chronic disease process in which the body’s immune system
starts attacking its own tissues. In the case of the large
joints, the synovium becomes inflamed and with the release
of chemicals, destroys the lining cartilage of the joints.
As the cartilage is destroyed, the joint becomes stiff,
swollen and painful. There are many different types of
inflammatory arthritis. A well-known example of inflammatory
arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. |
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Knee joint |
The knee joint
is the largest joint in the body. It is predominantly
called a hinge joint, but also glides and rotates. It is
comprised of the lower end of the thigh bone, the femur and
the upper end of the leg bone or tibia as well as the knee
cap or patella. The knee joint is thought to consist of
three parts: the medial compartment or inner aspect of the
knee, the lateral compartment or the outer aspect of the
knee, and the patellofemoral compartment, where the knee cap
articulates with the front of the lower femur. |
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Lateral compartment |
The outer of the
two joint areas between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia
(shin bone). |
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Medial compartment |
The inner of the
two joint areas between the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia
(shin bone). |
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Mini-posterolateral
incision |
A relatively small (2-1/2 to
3-1/2 inch) incision through which a total hip replacement
may be performed without cutting the important abductor
muscles that are critical to hip stability and walking. As a
result, with successful surgery, patients may put their full
weight on the operated leg immediately after surgery. |
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Minimally Invasive
Surgery |
In orthopedics, an approach to
joint replacement surgery where operations are performed
with specialized instruments designed to be inserted through
smaller incisions than traditional. Minimally Invasive
Surgery avoids the need for
large incisions, minimizing bleeding and trauma to the body,
reducing post-operative pain, and allowing shorter recovery times. |
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Musculoskeletal |
The structures
of the body that include bones, joints and surrounding soft
tissue such as the skin, muscles, ligaments, and joint
capsules. |
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Orthopaedist, Orthopedist |
A physician who
specializes in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system.
The orthopaedist may have completed up to 14 years of formal education. After becoming
licensed to practice medicine, the orthopaedic surgeon
becomes board-certified by passing both oral and written
examinations given by the American Board of Orthopaedic
Surgery. |
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Osteoarthritis |
The most common
form of arthritis that affects approximately 16 million
Americans. OA is usually a slowly progressive,
non-inflammatory degenerative disease in which the cartilage
lining the joint gradually wears away. This eventually
results in the bones rubbing together, causing stiffness and
pain. It most often affects middle-aged and older people.
The exact cause of osteoarthritis is unknown. |
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Patella |
The knee cap.
The patella is a bone within the tendon of the quadriceps
muscle. It is covered on its back side by a layer of smooth
gliding cartilage called articular cartilage and glides in
the groove between the femoral condyles called the trochlear
groove. The patella is almost always resurfaced in a total
knee replacement. |
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Patellofemoral compartment |
The joint
between the undersurface of the patella (kneecap) and the
femur (thigh bone). |
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Post-traumatic arthritis |
Arthritis
caused by a serious hip or knee injury. In the
hip, a serious injury such as a dislocation can affect the
blood supply to the femoral head or ball of the ball and
socket joint, resulting in a condition called avascular
necrosis. Without a blood supply and proper nutrition,
the cartilage cells lining the joint die, resulting in loss
of the joint cushion. This then produces pain and
disability. In the knee joint, the arthritis is similar to
osteoarthritis and may develop years after a fracture in the
knee, a ligament injury or meniscus tear. |
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Quad-sparing |
The term used
when describing the minimally invasive surgery in
which the quadriceps or thigh muscle is not violated (cut or
twisted) to gain access to the knee joint for replacement of
the worn surfaces of the knee. Without cutting muscle,
significantly less weakness and pain is noted after knee
replacement surgery and recovery is significantly faster. |
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Quadriceps muscle |
The four muscles
(quads) of the front of the thigh that cover the thigh bone
or femur. The muscles function to straighten out or extend
the knee joint. In traditional total knee replacement, the
quadriceps tendon is cut to allow full access to the joint
surfaces for replacement. |
|
Quadriceps tendon |
The soft tissue
thickening at the lower end of the thigh muscles (quadriceps
muscles) which attaches to the kneecap (actually the kneecap
is a bone within the quadriceps tendon) |
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Rheumatoid arthritis |
Another frequent
cause of hip and knee degeneration. The inflammation of
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is more generalized and affects
most of the synovial joints. The lining tissue of the
joint, the synovium becomes inflamed resulting in the
release of chemicals that damage the lining cartilage and
bone of the joint. The release of these chemicals can cause
pain and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age
and will generally affect both hips and both knees.
|
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Synovial fluid |
A
viscous substance that
lubricates joints in the body and allows two adjacent
cartilage caps to glide upon one another with minimal
friction. |
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Synovium |
A thin membrane lining the
inside of the joint capsule. It produces synovial fluid for
lubrication and nourishment of the joint cartilage. |
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Tibia |
The larger of
the two leg bones between the knee and the ankle, also
called the shin bone. The top of the tibia, called the
tibial plateau, is covered with gliding cartilage called
articular cartilage. |
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Trochlear groove |
The valley
between the two femoral condyles or ridges on the front side
of the end of the thigh bone or femur. This area of the
femur is covered in gliding cartilage or articular cartilage
and is the groove that the kneecap or patella moves in with
knee motion. The trochlear groove and patella together
comprise the patellofemoral joint—one of the three
compartments of the knee joint. |
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Unicompartmental
knee replacement |
A partial
knee replacement that's possible if the arthritis in the
knee is confined to a limited area. During the minimally
invasive surgery, only the diseased portion of the knee is
removed before an implant is placed, leaving the healthy
portion untouched. This means that the surfaces are replaced
on only one side of the joint. |
