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Pain Diagram

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A pain diagram is drawn by patient to assit the physician in understanding the nature of his pain. In this, the patient is provided with charts having human body diagrams. The diagrams show human body from front, back and sides. If a particular area is to be studied in detailed, a magnified diagram of the area can be provided.

The patient marks following things-

  • Site of pain
  • Nature of pain – burning, pins and needles, stabbing
  • Numbness

A pain diagram enables the physician to assess the patient condition better.

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Pia Mater

April 6, 2010 By 1 Comment

The meninges is the system of membranes which envelops the central nervous system. The meninges consist of three layers: the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater.

The pia mater is the delicate innermost layer of the meninges, the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

It is thin and mesh like and It supplies blood to the superficial areas of the cortex and supports larger blood vessels passing over the surface of the brain. The pia mater is anchored to the brain by the processes of astrocytes. It joins with the ependyma which lines the cerebral ventricles to form choroid plexuses that produce cerebrospinal fluid.

In the spinal cord, the pia mater attaches to the dura mater by denticulate ligaments that pass through the arachnoid mater.

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Primary Gain

April 2, 2010 By 1 Comment

Sometimes, the patient might have significant psychological motivators for reporting of symptoms. These motivators have been divided into secondaryand primarygain.

A primary gaproduces positive internal motivations.

If a patient feels guilty about being unable to perform some task and if could justify it by some medical condition, he might not feel so bad.

Primary gain is most dramatically demonstrated in conversion disorder. The gain may not be particularly evident to an outside observer.

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Palmar Aponeurosis

March 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The palmar aponeurosis 0r palmar fascia is the fascia that  invests the muscles of the palm. It consists of central, lateral, and medial portions.

The central portion occupies the middle of the palm, is triangular in shape, and of great strength and thickness.

The lateral and medial portions of the palmar aponeurosis are thin, fibrous layers, which cover, on the radial side, the muscles of the ball of the thumb, and, on the ulnar side, the muscles of the little finger.

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Pisiform

March 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The pisiform bone (also called pisiform or lentiform bone) is a small, pea-shaped carpal bone found in the proximal row of the carpus. It is located where the ulna joins the carpus (wrist). It articulates only with the triquetral.

It is a sesamoid bone.

Carpal Bones - Distal and Proximal Rows Proximal: A=Scaphoid, B=Lunate, C=Triquetral, D=Pisiform Distal: E=Trapezium, F=Trapezoid, G=Capitate, H=Hamate

Surfaces and Articulations

Its dorsal surface presents a smooth, oval facet, for articulation with the triquetral.

Left Pisiform Bone, Triangular bone is another name for Triquetral

The palmar surface is rounded and rough, and gives attachment to the transverse carpal ligament, flexor carpi ulnaris, abductor digiti quinti.

The lateral and medial surfaces are also rough, the former being concave, the latter usually convex.

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Radiculopathy

February 27, 2010 By 1 Comment

The term radiculopathy refers to describe pain, and other symptoms like numbness, tingling, and weakness in your arms or legs caused by a irritation or compression of nerve roots.

This term comes from a combination of the Latin word “radix,” which means the roots of a tree, and  “pathos,” which means a disease.

This condition is often caused by direct pressure from a herniated disc or degenerative changes in the lumbar spine that cause irritation and inflammation of the nerve roots.

Pain and numbness is felt in  the area of skin supplied the by sensory fibers of the nerve root. In addition the muscles supplied can show weakness.

Radiculopathy pertaining to lower limb is commonly referred to as sciatica.

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Neoplasm

February 8, 2010 By 1 Comment

Neoplasm is an abnormal mass of tissue as a result of neoplasia.

Neoplasia means new growth in Greek. It denotes abnormal proliferation of cells.

The growth of this clone of cells exceeds, and is uncoordinated with, that of the normal tissues around it.

One of the features of the neoplastic growth is that it persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli.

Neoplasms may be benign, pre-malignant or malignant.

The term tumor is synonymous with a neoplasm that has formed a lump.

Not all neoplasms form lumps.

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Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

February 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The posterior longitudinal ligament is situated within the vertebral canal, and extends along the posterior surfaces of the bodies of the vertebrae, from the body of the axis, where it is continuous with the membrana tectoria, to the sacrum.

It is broader above than below, and thicker in the thoracic than in the cervical and lumbar regions.

The ligament is more narrow at the vertebral bodies and wider at the intervertebral disc space. This is significant in understanding certain pathological conditions of the spine such as the typical location for a spinal disc herniation.

At  intervertebral fibrocartilages and contiguous margins of the vertebrae, the ligament is more adherent and  broad.

It is narrow and thick over the centers of the bodies, from which it is separated by the basivertebral veins.

It has an anterior counterpart called anterior longitudinal ligament

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