With October serving as the time of year when we place an increased focus
on breast cancer awareness, it may surprise you to learn that this is
also the month in which the national healthcare community endeavors to
emphasize enhanced health literacy among the public. Simply put, health
literacy means that health professionals and patients can discuss and
exchange information about health conditions that are easy to understand
and apply to daily living.
As physicians and health care providers, our training is (necessarily)
exacting and highly technical. After all, the body is a complex array
of bones, ligaments, muscle tissues, organ systems, and so much more.
Doctors and nurses must painstakingly study and apply that learning to
our patients so that we can help heal the health conditions that affect
them. Sometimes though, our technical knowledge can come at the expense
of the patient's adequate understanding of what's going on with
them in terms they can understand.
So this month, I'd like to focus on some of the more common but technical
terms or acronyms used in knee orthopedics while endeavoring to help my
readers from the public more easily understand what they mean.
ACL – This acronym stands for Anterior Cruciate Ligament – a mouthful,
I know. Your ACL is a thick band of tissue that passes through your knee
and attaches to the tibia – the innermost of two long bones in the
lower leg.
Flexion Deformity – This medical phenomenon occurs when a person can't fully extend or
straighten their knee.
Joint – The junction where two bones meet. The knee is the largest joint in the
human body.
Meniscus (plural menisci) – These are crescent moon-shaped discs of connective tissue in the
knees that behave like shock absorbers in a car. Menisci help to protect
the lower leg from the weight of the body.
ROM – This acronym stands for Range of Motion. ROM is the distance a
limb of the body can move along a linear or angular plane. ROM is an essential
measure of movement, especially after an arm or leg injury. It helps doctors
know what needs to be done for a patient to restore a normal range of motion.
Synovium – This is a thin membrane found inside the joints of the human body.
The synovium secretes something called synovial fluid, which helps lubricate
joints so that they move smoothly when we perform activities of daily
living, such as walking.
Tibia – A fancy word of Latin origin, meaning shin bone. The tibia is the larger
of two bones on the lower legs inside. The fibula is the smaller of the
two bones and is located on the outer side of the lower leg.
The above list of terms and acronyms barely scratches the surface of an
orthopedic glossary of definitions. But placing these terms in an easy-to-understand
language is a crucial endeavor, and I encourage all clinicians to practice
it. Our patients must understand what we are saying to them if we want
them to follow our advice. And patients? Don’t be afraid to speak
up when a doctor or medical provider says something you don't understand.
We are here to help you, and we want to ensure you have a solid grasp
of what we're saying. Communication is vital and takes mutual honesty
and understanding – your health depends on it!
Sources:
https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/?bodyPart=KneeLowerLeg
https://health.gov/our-work/national-health-initiatives/health-literacy