Muscular System
Learning Objectives
- Identify the anatomy of the muscular system and describe the main functions of the muscular system
- Analyze, translate, and define medical terms and common abbreviations of the muscular system
- Practice the spelling and pronunciation of muscular system terminology
- Identify the medical specialties associated with the muscular system and explore common diseases, disorders, diagnostic tests and procedures
Key Word Components
Identify meanings of key word components of the muscular system:
Prefixes
- a- (absence of, without)
- ab- (away from)
- ad- (towards)
- dys- (painful, difficult, abnormal, labored)
- hyper- (above, excessive)
- inter- (between)
- intra- (within, in)
- poly- (many, much)
- sub- (below, under)
- supra- (above)
- sym- (together, joined)
- syn- (together, joined)
Combining Forms
- ankyl/o (stiff or bent)
- fasci/o fascia (forms sheaths enveloping muscles)
- fibr/o (fibrous connective tissue)
- kinesi/o (movement, motion)
- kyph/o (hump)
- lamin/o lamina (thin, flat plate or layer)
- leimy/o (smooth [viseral] muscle that lines the walls of internal organs)
- my/o (muscle)
- myocardi/o (heart muscle)
- myos/o (muscle)
- plant/o (sole of the foot)
- rhabdomy/o (skeletal [striated] muscle connected to bones)
- sarc/o (flesh, connective tissue)
- ten/o (tendon)
- tendin/o (tendon)
- tend/o (tendon)
Suffixes
- -al (pertaining to)
- -algia (pain)
- -ar (pertaining to)
- -asthenia (weakness)
- -centesis (surgical puncture to aspirate fluid)
- -desis (surgical fixation, fusion)
- -ectomy (excision, surgical removal, cutting out)
- -gram (the record, radiographic image)
- -graphy (process of recording, radiographic imaging)
- -ic (pertaining to)
- -itis (inflammation)
- -lysis (loosening, separating, dissolution)
- -oid (resembling)
- -oma (tumor)
- -osis (abnormal condition)
- -penia (abnormal reduction)
- -physis (growth)
- -plasty (surgical repair)
- -rrhaphy (suturing, repairing)
- -sarcoma (malignant tumor)
- -schisis (split, fissure)
- -scopy (process of viewing, visual examination)
- -tome (instrument used to cut)
- -tomy (incision, cut into)
- -trophy (nourishment, development)
Muscular System Words
Muscular System Medical Terms (Text Version)
Practice the following muscular system words by breaking into word parts and pronouncing.
- rhabdomyolysis (rhabd/o/my/o/lysis)
- dissolution of a striated muscle
- bradykinesia (brady/kines/ia)
- condition of slow movement
- myorrhaphy (my/o/rrhaphy)
- suturing of a muscle
- dystrophy (dys/trophy)
- abnormal development
- tendinitis (tendin/itis)
- inflammation of the tendon
- electromyogram (electr/o/my/o/gram)
- record of the electricity of the muscle
- hyperkinesia (hyper/kines/ia)
- condition of excessive movement
- myasthenia (my/asthenia)
- weakness of muscles, muscle weakness
- hypertrophy (hyper/trophy)
- excessive development
- dyskinesia (dys/kines/ia)
- condition of difficult movement
- tenomyoplasty (ten/o/my/o/plasty)
- surgical repair of