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Chapter 2 The Skeletal System 31
CASE STUDY
Mary O’Toole, an active, 46-year-old female
with a healthy lifestyle, has been suffering from
lower back pain as well as pain radiating down
her right leg and calf. Recently Mary noticed
increased aggravation of pain when sitting. She
has tried over-the-counter pain medication,
including Advil® and Tylenol®, but with no
relief. After enduring the pain for two weeks,
Mary made an appointment with her internist,
Dr. Feeney. An internist, or internal medicine
specialist, is a physician who specializes in the
diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease
in adults.
After examining Mary, Dr. Feeney referred
her to Dr. Peter Lanips, who ordered X-rays of
Mary’s lumbosacral (LS) spine. The lumbosacral
(LUM-boh-SAY-kruhl) spine is the lower part
of the vertebral column, made up of the lumbar
region and the sacrum (the bone segment that
connects the spine to the pelvis). The X-rays
revealed a 2-centimeter bulge between vertebral
disks L5 and S1 (lumbar vertebra 5 and sacral
vertebra 1).
YOUR TURN
Based on the facts mentioned in the case study,
what kind of procedure to you think Mary’s doctor will
perform to alleviate her pain? Explain your answer. As
you read through this chapter, you will learn medical
terms that will help you understand the basic structure
and functions of the skeletal system, as well as common
diseases and conditions, diagnostic tests and procedures,
and surgical and therapeutic treatments. You will refer
back to this case study when you interpret Mary’s
medical record in the Chapter Review.
Medical Word Parts
The many parts of the skeletal system can be
distinguished by their unique names. Mastery of
the combining forms, prefi xes, and suffi xes listed
in the tables that follow will help you understand
medical terms pertaining to the skeletal system.
Combining Forms
The combining forms that follow are common
in medical terms used to describe conditions and
procedures of the skeletal system.
Combining Form
(Root Word plus
Combining Vowel) Meaning
acr/o extremities
ankyl/o crooked; bent; stiff; fused
together
arthr/o joint
Combining Form Meaning
brachi/o arm
burs/o bursa (sac of fl uid near a
joint)
carp/o wrist
cervic/o neck; cervix (neck of
uterus)
chir/o hand
chondr/o cartilage
cost/o rib
crani/o skull
kyph/o humpback
lord/o curve; swayback
lumb/o lumbar region; loin
lux/o slide
myel/o bone marrow; spinal cord
narc/o numbness; sleep; stupor
(Continued) (Continued)
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