Bone, Joint and Muscle Terms

A polysomnogram, commonly called a sleep study, records brain activity, breathing, heart rhythm, and muscle activity overnight to help diagnose sleep disorders.

Both unusually high and unusually low blood potassium levels can disrupt the heart's electrical rhythm, making this mineral closely monitored during illness.

A type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many B-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the bone marrow and blood.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of leukemia (blood cancer) in which too many T-cell lymphoblasts (immature white blood cells) are found in the bone marrow and blood.

A group of diseases in which the bone marrow does not make enough healthy blood cells.

A progressive, chronic disease in which the bone marrow is replaced by fibrous tissue and blood is made in organs such as the liver and the spleen, instead of in the bone marrow.

A type of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), in which too many immature white blood cells (prolymphocytes) are found in the blood and bone marrow.

An aggressive (fast-growing) type of acute myeloid leukemia in which there are too many immature blood-forming cells in the blood and bone marrow.

Qigong pairs slow, deliberate movement with controlled breathing and focused attention, and is practiced both as exercise and as a traditional health discipline.

A drug used to treat pain caused by bone cancer and other cancers that have spread to the bones.

A substance being studied in the treatment of cancer and certain other diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Surgery for breast cancer in which the breast, chest muscles, and all of the lymph nodes under the arm are removed.

A substance that is used to improve the health of the digestive system and bones and is being studied in the prevention of colon cancer.

Named for the island where the soil bacterium was dug up, and the enzyme it blocks was later named after the drug.

Rapamycin, now known chiefly as sirolimus, suppresses immune activity by blocking a cell signaling pathway that lymphocytes and other cells need to divide.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is a cancer of striated muscle tissue that can occur anywhere in the body but is most common in children.

Stiffness that is worst on waking and eases with movement is the pattern separating it from ordinary wear on a joint.

A drug used to treat some types of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe skin conditions, such as psoriasis.

A substance being studied in the treatment of soft tissue and bone cancers.