| Acupuncture A therapy using fine needles to control the body’s energy flows. |
| Analgesic Pain-killing. |
| Anti-inflammatory Reducing the inflammation that causes pain. |
| Ankylosing spondylitis A painful disease that causes the joints to swell up and the bones to fuse together. |
| Bilateral On both sides of the body. |
| Cervical Refers to the seven vertebrae that make up the neck. |
| Coccyx The last bone of the spine, often called the ‘tail bone’, made up of four tiny joined vertebrae. |
| Congenital Present at birth. |
| Conservative management The non-surgical treatment of back problems. |
| Diagnosis Identification of a disease or change in a person’s mind and/or body. |
| Degeneration of the disc The discs between the vertebrae break up as they become more rigid, restricting movement of the spine and increasing wear on the vertebrae. |
| Epidural Drugs injected into the spine, for the relief of pain. |
| Facet joints The point at which two vertebrae meet and move against each other. |
| Fracture A break in the bone. |
| Herbalism Use of plants and herbal remedies to treat illness. |
| Herniated Bulging through a part of the body, such as the soft core of a disc through its tough outer coating. |
| Inflammation The body’s reaction to injury or disease, which includes swelling, pain, heat and tenderness. |
| Intramuscular Given by injection into a muscle. |
| Intravenous Given by injection into a vein. |
| Ligament Bands of fibrous tissue that bind the bones together at a joint. |
| Lumbago An imprecise term for low back pain. |
| Non-specific lower back pain A name sometimes given to pain caused by damage to the muscles and ligaments in and around the lumbar vertebrae. |
| Nerve root The start of a nerve as it leaves the spinal cord. |
| Occupational therapists Health professionals, also known as OT’s, who find ways to help people live at home independently, despite their illness. |
| Orthopaedic Referring to the branch of medicine which deals with problems of the skeleton. |
| Osteoporosis A disease which makes the bone less dense and more brittle. |
| Pathology The branch of medicine concerned with the examination of diseased tissues. |
| Pelvis The bony circle formed by the hip bones and the sacrum and coccyx of the lower back. |
| Prognosis An assessment of the expected future course and outcome of a person’s disease. |
| Psychologist A specialist in the processes of the mind and behaviour. |
| Radiographer The member of the health care team who takes x-rays and scans. |
| Radiologist A doctor who understands and interprets a scan or an x-ray. |
| Radiology The use of x-rays in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. |
| Sacrum The solid flat area at the bottom of the spine forming the back of the pelvis, consisting of five fused vertebrae. |
| Sciatica Pain along the length of the sciatic nerve running down the back of the leg. Often used to describe leg symptoms. |
| Scoliosis A sideways curvature of the spine. |
| Shiatsu A form of massage which works on the energy flow around the body, and which can be helpful for stress-related conditions. |
| Spasm Sudden and/or continued contraction of muscles, which can cause immobilising pain. |
| Spinal canal The hole running down the length of the spine, containing the spinal cord. |
| Spinal stenosis Narrowing of the width of spinal canal, which may put pressure on the nerves. |
| Spondylolisthesis A condition in which one vertebra slips out of alignment with the other. |
| Spondylosis A condition of the spine resulting from wear and tear and degeneration. It causes the discs to narrow and extra bone growth to occur between disc and vertebrae. |
| Symptom A change in the body and the way it works, usually indicating disease or injury. |
| Therapy A word often used to mean treatment. |
| Thoracic Referring to the chest area, or the 12 thoracic vertebrae to which ribs connect. |
