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FfFabere Test: An orthopedic physical examination test with the patient on his or her back, the thigh and knee are flexed and one ankle is placed over the opposite knee; the knee is depressed, and if pain is produced thereby, arthritis of the hip, psoas muscle or SI joint is indicated. The name comes from the initial letters of movements that are necessary to perform it, namely, flexion, abduction, external rotation, extension. Also called Patrick’s Sign. Facet Arthrosis: Degenerative changes of the facetjoints. Facet Block: The injection of anesthetic and/or steroid into a facet joint using video x-ray or CT scan to assist the practitioner in guiding a needle through the skin. This can be done for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Facet Hypertrophy: Enlargement of the facet joints as a result of degenerative changes. Facet Injection: See Facet Block. Facet Joint Dysfunction: A vertebral motion segment whose joint does not move freely in all directions or moves excessively. Commonly used by treatment providers to refer to a syndrome producing facet joint pain. Facet Joints: A set of paired joints representing the articulation (joining) of the back portions of two adjoining vertebrae at the back of each vertebra articulating with the vertebra above and vertebra below. An injured or degenerative facet joint may be the source of spinal pain and stiffness. Also referred to as zygapophyseal joint. Facet Neurotomy: A therapeutic technique whereby the medial branch nerve supply to the facet is cut. This is done surgically, most often with radio frequency current. See Medial Branch Neurotomy. Sometimes called Facet Rhizotomy. Facet Rhizotomy: See Facet Neurotomy. Facet Syndrome: Pain coming from facet joints. Degenerated facet joints may also put pressure upon exiting spinal nerves and cause radiculopathy and/or stenosis. FACO: Fellow of the Academy of Chiropractic Orthopedists. FACS: Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Family and Medical Leave Act: A 1993 federal law requiring employers with more than 50 employees to provide eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for births, adoptions, foster care placement, and illnesses of employees and their families. Fascia: The connective tissue sheath which is continuous through-out the body. The fascial system covers the muscles, the skeleton, and the organ systems of the body. It also creates tunnels through which the nerves and blood vessels travel. Fascial: Of or pertaining to the fascia. FASBE: Fellow of Applied Spinal Biochemical Engineering. Federal Courts: Courts of the United States created by Article III of the Constitution or by Congress. Lawsuits filed in federal court include cases in which an agency of the federal government is named as a defendant or where the plaintiff and defendant reside in different states. Federal Law: Laws that apply equally to all Americans no matter where they live in the United States. Federal laws are different from state laws, as the latter apply only to individuals who live in a particular state. Fibromyalgia: A syndrome involving diffuse systemic muscle pain. The diagnostic criteria has been defined by the American College of Rheumatology as pain at 11of 18 tender point sites, presence of subcutaneous nodules, and a history of widespread pain for more than three months. Trauma can be a cause of this syndrome. Fibromyositis: An inflammatory muscle condition leading to fibrosis and muscle pain, commonly secondary to trauma. Fibrosis: Abnormal formation of scar tissue. Fibrositis: A term with multiple meanings that have been applied to myofascial pain, tendinitis, bursitis, capsulitis, and tenosynovitis. Generally it is understood to be an inflammation of connective tissue. Fixation: (1) A chiropractic term for a vertebral segment which does not move well in all directions. Fixations are corrected by chiropractic adjustments. See Subluxation. (2) A manual therapy term indicating a blocking technique of one bone to allow for specific movement of an adjacent bone. Flaccid: Lacking normal muscle tone; limp. Flexion: Bending a joint forward. Flexion-Extension Injury: A sprain/strain injury of the cervical spine and adjacent structures caused by a hyperextension-hyperflexion injury. See Acceleration-Deceleration Injury, Whiplash Injury. Flexion-Extension X-rays: Side view x-rays taken at the extremes of flexion and extension of the spine to detect abnormal movement between adjacent vertebrae suggestive of ligament damage or ligamentous laxity. These views are compared to a neutral view. Fluoroscopy: An x-ray machine capable of producing both still images and “real-time” motion of the joints or vertebrae. Often used to visualize intervertebral joint motion through flexion and extension of the neck or back or to place a syringe needle at a targeted site. Foley Catheter: This is a tube inserted into the urinary bladder for drainage of urine. The urine drains through the tube and collects into a plastic bag. Foramen: The opening between the vertebrae through which the spinal nerve root and spinal nerve sheath pass to exit the spinal canal. The size of the foramen may be reduced by degenerative joint disease, a herniated disc, bulging disc, bone spurs,facet joint hypertrophy, or by soft tissue (cyst, tumor, ligament, etc.). Foraminal Compression Test: A physical examination technique which reduces the opening of the foramen which may demonstrate if there is pressure upon the exiting spinal nerve. The test is done to detect spinal nerve root involvement, a herniateddisc, bulging disc, or foraminal stenosis. The patient is seated with the head and neck in a neutral position. Pressure is increasingly applied on the head and neck in mild lateral flexion to either side. A positive result replicates numbness or tingling into a dermatome of the upper extremity. Also called Sparely’s Manuever. Foraminal Stenosis: A decrease in the overall size of the intervertebral foramen (the bony window through which the spinal nerves pass) caused by enlargement of the facet or a degenerative disc. The spinal nerve passing through the foramen can become irritated or compressed. Severe foraminal stenosis can cause radiculopathy. Surgical management can include enlarging the foremen by removing bone (foraminotomy), and/or fusion to reduce continued facet joint degeneration. Foraminotomy: A surgical opening of the intervertebral foramen to provide more space for the spinal nerve. Forward Head: Forward translation of the head/skull in relation to the mid back. A postural dysfunction where the upper back is in flexion and the head protrudes forward over the chest. This position places the head and neck in a structural disadvantage. It is often seen after flexion-extension injuries to the cervical spine.
Frontal-Occipital Headaches: Pain emanating from the base of the skull or in the back of the head and radiating to the forehead. This headache pain is often secondary to acceleration-deceleration injuries (also know as hyperextension-hyperflexion injuries or whiplash) involving the upper joints of the neck (O-C1, C1-2, C2-3 joints). Full Spine Radiography: A method of x-ray most commonly found in chiropractic practice in which a patient’s entire spine and pelvis are produced on a single x-ray film in both the anterior to posterior (AP) and lateral projections. The x-ray film size is typically 14”x 36”. Functional Ability: Capacity for performing an act that results in a practical end result. Functional Capacity Evaluation: A series of tests measuring physical strength, range of motion, stamina, and tolerance to functional activities, including lifting and carrying. These tests can be used to evaluate work tolerance, and the necessity for work restrictions. More commonly referred to as a Physical Capacities Evaluation (PCE). Functional Impairment Index (FRI): A questionnaire used to quantify the patient’s degree of dysfunction and how it affects activities of daily living. Functional Leg Length Discrepancy: A short leg which is the result of a biomechanical subluxation complex (inclusive of a muscle imbalance, myospasm, segmental dysfunction or combination of these factors). It is not due to bone length. Chiropracticadjustment seeks to correct leg length difference. Fusion: A surgical procedure performed to eliminate spinal pain or immobilize unstable joint segments. Can be used to treat degenerative disc disease and to immobilize injured vertebral segments. A bone graft is placed across a spinal segment which then grows together with the patient’s bone and the area is immobilized. There is a loss of motion between two vertebrae that are fused together. The graft can be an autograft (bone taken from the patient) or an allograft (cadaver bone). |
Frontal Lobe: Front
part of the brain; involved in planning, organizing, problem solving, selective
attention, personality and a variety of “higher cognitive functions.”