Orthofix Cervical-Stim, Patient Manual

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Glossary
adjunct/adjunctive: an additional therapy soon after the surgery
allograft: bone graft taken from another human
CT scan: Computerized Tomography Scan; a picture of structures within the
body created by a computer that takes the data from multiple x-ray images
and turns them into pictures on a screen
defibrillator: an electrical device used to restore normal heartbeat by
applying a brief electric shock
diabetes mellitus: a chronic disease in which the body has a lack of insulin
and cannot make use of carbohydrates
electrocardiogram: a recording of the electrical activity of the heart
epilepsy: also know as “seizure disorder”; a pattern of seizures caused when
the nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses at a rate of up to four times
higher than normal
fusion: the joining of two bones into a single unit and thus eliminating motion
between the two bones
high-risk patients: patients who have conditions or health concerns that may
hinder normal bone healing/fusion; these can include smoking, bone depleting
medications, osteoporosis, multi-level fusions, revision surgery, etc.
ligamentous spinal trauma: typically occurring in the cervical spine;
generally brought about by extreme forces causing sudden forward or
backward bending of the spine (e.g., whiplash)
metastatic cancer: type of cancer that spreads (i.e., metastasizes) from its
original site to another area of the body
MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; procedure that uses a magnet connected
to a computer to create images of internal structures of the body