Key Terminology - Assessment and Evaluation

1. active movement - The joint motion that results from muscle contraction.
2. biomechanics - Application of mechanical forces to living organisms.
3. diagnosis - The name of a specific condition made by a physician.
4. empty feel- Movement that is defInitely beyond the anatomic limit with pain occurring before completion of the range (e.g., a complete ligament rupture).
5. etiology - The cause of an injury or disease.
6. goniometry - Act of measuring the range of motion at a joint.
7. joint play - Movement that is not voluntary, but accessory.
8. loose - Occurs in extreme hypermobility.
9. palpation - Diagnostic method of evaluation whereby the examiner's fingers begin using light pressure over an area with small circular motions and gradually increase the pressure; usually starts away from the pain site and gradually moves toward it.
10. pathology - Structural and functional change that results in injury.
11. pathomechanics - Mechanical forces that are applied to a living organism and adversely change the body's structure and function.
12. prognosis - A prediction of the course of the condition.
13. reflex - An involuntary response following a stimulus.
14. sequela - A condition following and resulting from a disease or injury.
15. sign - An objective indicator of a specific condition.
16. SOAP - Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
17. spasm - Involuntary muscle contraction that prevents motion because of pain; should also be called guarding.
18. springy block - A rebound at an endpoint.
19. symptom - A perceptible change in an athlete's body or its functions that indicates an injury or disease:
    subjectively described by the person.
20. syndrome - Refers to a group of symptoms and signs that, together, indicate a particular injury or disease.