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Jargon
There are a wealth of terms and references for medical conditions and the people involved in the rehabilitation that can be difficult to follow. This glossary is aimed at assisting understanding but further information can be obtained by simply emailing your query:-
Medical terms
 | Brain Stem |
| The part of the brain comprising the medulla oblongata, the
pons and the mesencephalon. It performs motor, sensory and reflex
functions. |
| Cortex |
| The outer layer of a body organ or other structure. |
| Frontal Lobe |
| The largest of five lobes constituting each of the two
cerebral hemispheres. |
| Coup |
| Any blow or stroke or the effects of such a blow to the
body. |
| Diffuse |
| Become widely spread |
| Pre-morbid |
| A personality characterized by early signs or symptoms of a
mental disorder. |
| Cognitive |
| Pertaining to the mental processes of comprehension,
judgement, memory, and reasoning, as contrasted with emotional and
volitional processes. |
| Disinhibition |
| Inhibition, removal of an inhibitory effect |
| Lability |
| Unstable; characterized by a tendency to change or be
altered or modified. |
| Hallucinations |
| A sensory perception that does not result from an external
stimulus and that occurs in the waking state. |
| Organic brain injury |
| A constellation of behavioural or psychological signs and
symptoms including problems with attention, concentration, memory,
confusion, anxiety and depression. |
| Abulia |
| A loss of the ability or reduced capacity to exhibit
initiative or make decisions. |
| Post Traumatic Stress Disorder |
| A psychiatric disorder characterised by an acute emotional
response to a traumatic event or situation involving severe environmental
stress. |
| Ambulant |
| Able to Walk |
| Non – ambulant |
| Unable to walk |
| Contracture |
| An abnormal, usually permanent condition of a joint,
characterized by flexion and fixation and caused by shortenigng of muscle fibres
or by loss of the normal elasticity of the skin. |
| Ataxia |
| An abnormal condition characterized by impaired ability to
coordinate movement. |
| Dystonia |
| Any impairment of muscle tone. |
| Flaccid |
| Weak, soft and flabby, lacking normal muscle tone. |
| Hypertonic |
| Having a greater concentration of solute than another
solution. |
| Muscle Tone |
| A normal state of balanced muscle tension. |
| Spastic |
| Pertaining to spasms or other uncontrolled contractions of
the skeletal muscles. |
| Tremor |
| Rhythmic, purposeless, quivering movements resulting from
the involuntary alternating contraction and relaxation of opposing groups of
skeletal muscles occurring in some elderly individuals and certain
families |
| Diplegia |
| Paralysis of both the sides of any body part or of like
parts on the opposite sides of the body. |
| Hemiplegia |
| Paralysis of one side of the body. |
| Monoplegi |
| Weakness in one limb |
| Paraplegia |
| Paralysis characterised by motor or sensory loss on the
lower limbs and trunk |
| Quadriplegia |
| Paralysis of the arms, legs, and trunk of the body below
the level of an associated injury to the spinal cord. |
| Hemiparesis |
| Muscular weakness of one half of the body. |
| Quadriparesis |
| Less severe than hemiplegia or quadriplegia |
Medical Professionals
| Litigation Friend |
| An adult who acts on behalf of a child in
court proceedings |
| Claimant |
| The court name for the person or party who
instigates court proceedings and who claims to have been wronged. |
| Defendant |
| The court name for the person or party who it is
alleged has been negligent and at fault and who therefore defends a claim being
brought against them |
| Issue of Proceedings |
| To commence Court action and file relevant paperwork. |
| Limitation Period |
| Each legal action has a limitation period.
This is the period during which a claim can be brought against another party. In
personal injury a claim is generally issued in court by the 3rd
anniversary of the date of the accident. Where a child is involved, the claim
must be issued in court before the child's 21st birthday. If the person
injured is unable to manage their own affairs this time limit is extended but
advice from a solicitor should be taken. |
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