Plain definitions of 36 terms we use on the job in Stockbridge.
Term Index
Open any term below for a dedicated definition page.
Allodynia is nerve-related pain caused by a touch or sensation that normally should not hurt. Light contact from clothing, bedding, or a gentle touch may feel painful. Allodynia often signals changed nerve processing and can occur with neuropathy, nerve injury, or other pain conditions.
An annular tear is a small split in the tough outer ring of a spinal disc. The tear can let disc material press outward or irritate nearby nerves. It may appear in the neck or lower back and can occur with disc wear, injury, or sudden strain.
Also called: Annular Fissure
Arachnoiditis is a painful disorder involving inflammation and scarring of the arachnoid, a thin membrane around the spinal cord and nerve roots. The scarring can make nearby nerve tissues stick together or lose normal movement. Symptoms may include burning pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, or pain that spreads through the legs or back.
Axial Pain is pain that starts in the spine or nearby structures and stays near the back or neck. The pain may come from muscles, joints, discs, or other spinal tissues. In the neck, axial pain often feels sore, stiff, or aching without clear symptoms traveling into the arm.
Cauda Equina Syndrome is a serious condition caused by pressure on the bundle of nerves at the lower end of the spinal canal. These nerves control sensation and movement in the legs, bladder, bowel, and pelvic area. Sudden changes in these functions can signal a medical emergency that needs prompt evaluation.
Central Sensitization is a nervous system process that makes the brain and spinal cord respond more strongly to pain signals. The response can continue after an injury has healed or become greater than the original tissue problem. This process may help explain widespread pain, tenderness, fatigue, and symptoms that change over time.
Chronic Pain is ongoing or recurring pain that continues after an injury should have healed or develops without a clear injury. It may come from tissue damage, nerve changes, inflammation, or changes in how the nervous system processes signals. The pain can affect sleep, movement, work, mood, and daily activities.
Computed Tomography is an imaging method that uses x-rays and computer processing to create detailed cross-sectional views of the body. These views can show bones, joints, organs, and soft tissues more clearly than a standard x-ray. A healthcare professional may order this scan to examine pain, injury, or suspected structural changes.
Also called: CT, CT Scan
Dermatome is a skin area that receives sensation from a single spinal nerve root. Each dermatome follows a general map across the body, although patterns can vary between people. Clinicians compare numbness, tingling, or pain with this map to help identify the nerve root involved in conditions such as cervical radiculopathy.
A Disc Bulge is a spinal disc change in which the disc extends beyond its usual outer edge. The disc’s outer layer remains broadly intact, but the shape may press near a nerve or spinal canal. Some disc bulges cause no symptoms, while others may relate to back pain, leg pain, numbness, or weakness.
Also called: Bulging Disc
Disc Desiccation is a loss of water within a spinal disc that can reduce its height and flexibility. The change often develops as discs age or degenerate. Disc desiccation may appear on magnetic resonance imaging, but the finding does not by itself prove that the disc causes pain.
Also called: Degenerative Disc Desiccation
Electromyography is a diagnostic test that records the electrical activity of muscles. The test uses a small needle electrode to measure muscle signals during rest and movement. These signals can show whether weakness, numbness, or pain may involve a muscle, peripheral nerve, or nerve root in the neck or limb.
Also called: EMG
Epidural Space is the narrow area inside the spinal canal that surrounds the outer covering of the spinal cord and nerve roots. It contains fatty tissue and small blood vessels. During an epidural steroid injection, a clinician guides medication into this space near irritated spinal nerves.
Foraminal Stenosis is a narrowing of the openings between spinal bones where nerve roots leave the spinal canal. The narrowed space may press on or irritate a nerve root. That pressure can cause pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness along the nerve’s path, often in the lower back and leg.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a medical imaging method that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed pictures inside the body. An MRI can show soft tissues, nerves, joints, discs, and the spinal cord. Doctors use these images to assess possible causes of pain and guide further care.
Also called: MRI, MRI Scan
Muscle Spasm is a sudden, involuntary tightening of a muscle that can cause pain, stiffness, or limited movement. The tightening may affect a small area, such as a neck or back muscle, or a larger muscle group. Spasms may follow injury, overuse, irritation, or prolonged muscle tension.
Also called: Muscle Cramp
A Nerve Conduction Study is a test that checks how well electrical signals travel through peripheral nerves. Small electrodes record nerve responses after a mild electrical pulse reaches the skin. The results help show whether nerve signals are slowed, weakened, or blocked, which can support evaluation of numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness.
Also called: NCS
A Nerve Root is the part of a spinal nerve that leaves the spinal cord through an opening between the vertebrae. Each nerve root carries signals between the spine and a specific area of the body. Pressure or irritation at a lumbar nerve root can cause pain, tingling, numbness, or weakness along the leg.
Neuropathic Pain is pain caused by damaged nerves or abnormal nerve signals. The pain may feel burning, shooting, electric, tingling, or numb. Common causes include nerve pressure, injury, disease, or inflammation. Symptoms can affect one nerve, a nerve root, or several nerves in the body.
Also called: Nerve Pain
Nociceptive pain is pain caused by actual or possible injury to body tissues. Specialized nerve endings detect irritation from inflammation, pressure, heat, or physical damage. The nervous system sends those signals to the brain, which identifies pain in the affected area. Arthritis, muscle strain, and joint injury commonly produce nociceptive pain.
A Pain Journal is a personal record that tracks pain patterns, symptoms, activities, treatments, and daily effects over time. You may note when pain starts, where it occurs, how strong it feels, and what changes it. This record gives a clinician clear details that a single office visit may not show.
Also called: Pain Diary
Pain Scale is a clinical tool that helps you describe how strong your pain feels. A pain scale may use words, pictures, or numbers to record pain intensity. Healthcare professionals compare your rating over time, along with your symptoms, physical findings, and daily activities, to track changes and guide medical documentation.
Also called: Pain Rating Scale
Paresthesia is an unusual skin sensation that may feel like tingling, prickling, burning, itching, or pins and needles. The sensation can occur without an outside cause. It often affects the feet, legs, hands, or arms when nerves send altered signals. Paresthesia may be temporary or may continue with nerve conditions such as diabetic neuropathy.
Also called: Pins And Needles
Peripheral Nerve is a nerve outside the brain and spinal cord that carries signals between the central nervous system and the rest of the body. These nerves help control movement, carry touch and pain signals, and support automatic functions. The term includes nerves in the head, neck, arms, legs, and trunk.
Postherpetic Neuralgia is nerve pain that continues after a shingles rash heals. The pain follows nerves affected by the varicella-zoster virus. Burning, stabbing, itching, numbness, or pain from light touch may occur in the same skin area. Symptoms can affect sleep, movement, clothing choices, and daily activities.
Also called: Postherpetic Pain
Referred Pain is pain felt in an area away from the tissue causing it. Shared nerve pathways can make the brain locate signals in a nearby or distant body region. The painful area may be healthy, while a joint, muscle, nerve, or another structure sends the original signal.
The spinal cord is a long bundle of nerve tissue that connects the brain with nerves throughout the body. It runs inside the spinal canal and carries movement, feeling, and reflex signals. Pressure or damage near the cord can affect pain, strength, balance, or bladder and bowel control.
A Spinal Nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers that carries signals between the spinal cord and the body. Each spinal nerve helps send movement commands and sensory information. Irritation or pressure near a spinal nerve can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness along the related nerve pathway.
Spondylosis is age-related wear in the spine that affects the discs, joints, and nearby bone. The changes may include disc thinning, bone spurs, or narrowed spaces around spinal nerves. Spondylosis can occur in the neck or lower back, and it may cause pain, stiffness, numbness, or no symptoms.
Also called: Spinal Osteoarthritis
Steroid Medication is a drug that reduces inflammation and related swelling in the body. In pain care, a corticosteroid may be placed near an irritated nerve, joint, or other painful structure. The medication does not repair every cause of pain, but it can help calm inflammation so symptoms are easier to assess and manage.
Also called: Corticosteroid
TENS Therapy is a noninvasive treatment that sends mild electrical pulses through skin electrodes to affect nerve signals. A small device connects to the electrodes, which are placed near a painful area. Clinicians may include TENS Therapy in a pain plan for short-term symptom relief, including some chronic headache care.
Also called: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation
A vertebral disc is a flexible cushion between the bones of the spine. Each disc has a tough outer ring and a softer center. The discs help the spine bend, move, and absorb pressure. A tear, bulge, or herniation can irritate nearby nerves and cause back pain or leg symptoms.
Also called: Spinal Disc
Visceral pain is discomfort that comes from internal organs or the tissues around them. The pain may feel deep, dull, aching, cramping, or hard to locate. A person may also feel pain in another body area, such as the back or shoulder, because the nervous system can share signals from nearby or connected organs.
Also called: Organ Pain
Weakness is reduced muscle strength that makes a movement harder to perform or control. It can affect one limb, several muscle groups, or a specific action, such as lifting the foot. In lumbar radiculopathy, weakness may occur when a spinal nerve becomes irritated or compressed and cannot signal nearby muscles normally.
Also called: Muscle Weakness
Widespread Pain is pain felt across several body areas, often on both sides of the body and above and below the waist. The term describes the pattern and reach of pain, not its cause. Fibromyalgia commonly includes widespread pain, but other health conditions can create a similar pattern.
X-Ray is an imaging test that uses a small amount of radiation to create pictures of bones and some body tissues. The images can show breaks, alignment changes, joint wear, and other visible findings. Healthcare professionals review X-rays with your symptoms and examination results to help guide care.
Also called: Radiograph
