Pp
Pain Clinic: A multidisciplinary team approach for treating
patients with chronic pain. Education is emphasized, as well as
physical conditioning, self-management techniques, decreasing narcotic dependence,
and addressing psychological barriers to recovery.
Pain Generator: The anatomic structure that is causing
pain.
Pain Scale: One method for quantifying pain. There are
many different types of pain scales. The most common is a 0-10 scale termed
the Visual Analog Scale with 10 as the “most severe” pain.
Palmer Diversified: A chiropractic technique where
the primary adjustive force is the practitioner’s hands. See Diversified
Technique.
Paraplegia: Paralysis of the legs (from the waist down).
Paraspinal
Musculature: The muscles that can be readily
palpated on either side of the spinous processes during an examination.
Paraspinal Tenderness: Tenderness in the muscles on one
or both sides of the spinous
processes.
Paravertebral: Adjacent to the vertebral column.
Paresthesia: An abnormal sensation of numbness usually
involving tingling or pins and needles, which is typically not painful. It
may also include a burning feeling.
 Parietal Lobe: One
of the two parietal lobes of the brain located behind the frontal lobe at
the top of the brain.
Parietal Lobe, Right: Damage of this area can cause visuo-spatial
deficits (e.g., the person may have difficulty finding their way around new
or familiar places).
Parietal Lobe, Left: Damage to this area may disrupt a
person’s ability to understand spoken and/or written language.
Pars Interarticularis: It literally means “the part
between the articulations.” This is the portion of the vertebra which
lies between the upper facet process and the lower facet process.
If this section of bone is fractured or not fully fused, it may
result in a spondylolysis or spondylolisthesis.
Pars Interarticularis Defect: A fracture or congenital
defect in the bony portion connecting facet joints and the pars
interarticularis. This is also called a spondylolysis and may
lead to spondylolisthesis.
Party: A person or entity that takes part in a legal proceeding
or transaction.
Passive Range of Motion: In the spine or extremities, passive range
of motion (ROM) is measured in flexion, extension, lateral
flexion, and rotation, abduction, adduction, inversion, and aversion.
This differs from active range of motion in that the patient
uses no voluntary muscle contraction and must be taken through the ROM by
the examiner.
Patella: A bone located in front of the knee,
commonly referred to as the kneecap.
Patella Tendon Reflex: The reflex contraction of the quadriceps
muscle with tapping of the tendon of the patella. Used to discern
indirectly the functioning of the L4 and, to a lesser extent, the L3 spinal
nerve functions. Also known as the Knee Jerk Reflex.
PCE: Abbreviation for physical capacities evaluation.
PDR: Physicians Desk Reference.
Pedicle: That portion of a vertebra which separates
the larger, vertebral body in the front from the smaller bony structures
toward the back.
Perception: The ability to make sense of what one sees,
hears, feels, tastes or smells. Perceptual losses are often very subtle,
and the person and/or family may be unaware of them.
Peripheral Nervous
System: The portion of the nervous system
outside the central nervous system.
Peripheral Neuropathy: A generalized “slowing” of
the peripheral nervous system which is often characterized by decreased
sensation in a stocking and glove distribution in the feet and hands. This
condition can sometimes be diagnosed with a nerve conduction study.
Perjury: False or misleading testimony while under
oath to tell the truth. A criminal offense.
Perseveration: Refers to the inappropriate persistence
of a response in a current task which may have been appropriate for a former
task. Perseverations may be verbal or motoric.
Pettibon Technique: A chiropractic technique
which uses complex formulas to ascertain various misalignment angles.
Specific manual and instrument adjustments are used to correct these misalignments.
Physiatrist: A
medical doctor who has completed residency training in Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation. A specialist in rehabilitation and outpatient non-operative orthopedic musculoskeletal
care, as well as neurologic rehabilitation, who is trained to
diagnose and treat disabling conditions. Board certification
is given by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.>
Physical Capacity Evaluation: A test of physical strength
and stamina used to determine work restrictions and work tolerance. See Functional
Capacity Evaluation.
Physical Therapist: The physical therapist evaluates components
of movement, including muscle strength, muscle tone, posture, coordination,
endurance and general mobility. The physical therapist also evaluates the
potential for functional movement, such as ability to move in the bed, transfers,
and walking; and then proceeds to establish an individualized treatment program
to help the person achieve functional independence.
Physical Therapy: Treatment for musculoskeletal and neurological
disorders provided by a licensed physical therapist. Usually involving
exercise, electrical modalities, and myofascial techniques.
P.T. : Physical Therapist.
Physical Therapist: Graduate from a university program
with a Master of Science
or a Ph.D. in physical therapy. Licensed in each state, a physical
therapist focuses on biomechanical components of the neuro-musculoskeletal
systems with emphasis on functional limitations. Procedures used include
manual physical therapy neuro-muscle exercises, posture correction,
and home and
work place analysis.
Piriformis Syndrome: Various symptoms involving posterior hip
pain localized in the piriformis muscle that may include radiating numbness
or tingling down one leg. A small portion of the population has a sciatic
nerve which goes through the piriformis muscle, which may be irritated
when inflammation occurs
within the muscle.
Plaintiff: The party who requests damages and
initiates a civil lawsuit.
Pleadings: The formal, written documents filed by the parties with
the court which set forth, or elaborate on, their respective claims and
defenses.
Plexopathy: Dysfunction of the brachial plexus or lumbar
plexus.
Plexus: A network of nerves.
Positional Dysfunction: A manual therapy term for dysfunction
or pathology when a spinal motion segment is in a particular position.
Post-Concussive Syndrome: Any alteration in cerebral function
caused by direct or indirect forces transmitted to the head resulting in
brief loss of consciousness, light-headedness, vertigo, cognitive and memory
dysfunction, tinnitus, difficulty concentrating, amnesia, headaches, balance
disorder, nausea and/or vomiting.
Posterior: The backside of a bodily part. Opposite of anterior.
Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: The ligament along
the length of the spine attached to the backside of a vertebral body.
Post Traumatic Amnesia (PTA): A period of hours, weeks,
days or months after the injury, when the person exhibits a loss of day-to-day
memory. The person is unable to store new information and therefore has a
decreased ability to learn. Memory of the PTA period is never stored, therefore
things that happened during that period cannot be recalled. May also be called
Anterograde Amnesia.
Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder: This is a psychologicalcondition
involving emotional and behavioral distress after exposure
to a traumatic event or events. Physiologic change
such as increased sympathetic nervous system activity, alterations
in stress hormones secretion, memory processing and limbic system abnormalities
in brain imaging studies of traumatized patients have been shown in
significant, longer term cases. The formal diagnosis is contained
in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) published
by the American Psychological Association. Symptoms may include
insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, extreme psychological
or physical distress when exposed to cues that remind the person of
the incident, nightmares, anxiety, exaggerated startle response, numbing
of the senses, avoidance of activities or places that bring back memories
of the event, among others.
Posture: The attitude of the body. Posture is maintained
by low-grade, continuous contraction of muscles which counteract the pull
of gravity on body parts. Injury to the nervous system can impair the ability
to maintain normal posture, for example holding up the head.
PPD: An abbreviation for Permanent Partial Disability.
Power of Attorney: A letter or document authorizing one
person to act as an agent or attorney for another.
Prejudice Outweighs Probative Value: Rule of evidence which
provides that relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is
substantially outweighed by the danger that it may confuse or mislead the
jury, or unfairly prejudice the opposing party.
Pre-Morbid Condition: Characteristics of an individual
present before the disease or injury occurred.
Preponderance of the Evidence: Degree of evidence necessary
for a plaintiff to win in a civil case. Evidence which is of greater weight
or more convincing than the evidence which is offered in opposition. On a
scale of 1 to 100, fifty-one percent (51%) or better.
Privilege: Protection against disclosure of information
based on communications made in confidence between parties having legally
protected relationships. Based on the policy that it is better to have
frank, open communications between parties in certain relationships by protecting
these communications from disclosure in litigation. Pertains to communications
between attorney/client, doctor/patient, priest/penitent, and husband/wife.
Problem-Solving: Ability
of the individual to bring cognitive processes to the consideration of
how to accomplish a task.
Prognosis: The prospect as to recovery from a disease or
injury as indicated by the nature and symptoms of the case.
Prone: Lying on one’s stomach.
Proprioception: The sensory awareness of the position of
body parts with or without movement. Combination of kinesthesia and position
sense.
Pro Se: When a party does not retain an attorney
and appears for and represents himself/herself in court.
Prosody: The inflections or intonations of speech.
Proximal: Next to, or nearest, the point of attachment.
PRN: An abbreviation for Per Required Need.
Progressive Resistance Exercise:A rehabilitation technique
with progressively increasing strength training.
Prolapsed Disc: A term often used synonymously with herniated
disc the annulus fibrosis becomes disrupted and the inside
of the disc material, the nucleus pulposus, extends outward.
Prolotherapy: The injections intended to cause scarring
of tissue around joints to reduce ligament hypermobility at a joint
area.
Pronated Foot: A foot that is extra lax, resulting in excessive
roll of the foot and flattening of the arch.
Prone: Lying in a face-down position.
Protection & Advocacy TBI Program (PATBI): Free legal
programs available in every state that provide individuals with TBI information,
legal representation, and self-advocacy assistance.
Protective Order: If an objection is made to a discovery
request because it seeks information of a sensitive nature, is not relevant,
or is harassing in nature, a motion is made for a protective order. A common
example is medical information that is clearly irrelevant to the injuries
claimed, will not lead to admissible evidence, and which is of a sensitive
nature. The court may grant a protective order allowing a party or witness
to not comply with a discovery request for that information. In some instances,
protective orders may allow the defense attorney to review the information,
but will dictate how the information is to be stored, who has access to it,
and what happens to the information once the case concludes.
Protruded Disc: A contained disc herniation, sometimes
called a bulging disc.
Provocative Maneuver: A physical exam test which attempts
to reproduce pain through movement, mobilization, pressure over
a structure, or other means.
Proximate Cause: Refers to a cause which leads directly,
or in an unbroken sequence, to a particular result. An element of negligence.
Psychometric
Instrument: Standardized tests (utilizing
paper and pencil) which measure mental functioning.
Ptosis: Drooping of a body part, such as the upper eyelid,
from paralysis, or drooping of the visceral organs from weakness of the abdominal
muscles.
PTSD: An abbreviation for Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Qq
Quadriparesis: Weakness of all four limbs.
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