O Glossary of Terms for
Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine

O

Obesity:

Obesity occurs when a person has too much body fat. Obesity is not the same as being overweight; a person is considered obese when they weigh 20% or more of the maximum desirable weight for their height.

Olecranon Process:

Bony projection of the ulna at the tip of the elbow.

One Repetition Maximum:

The maximum amount of weight that can be lifted by the player in a particular exercise at one time. This is used as a strength testing technique.

Orthopedics:

The branch of medicine that deals with bones and the skeleton.

Orthotic:

Any device applied to or around the body in the care of physical impairment or disability, commonly used to control foot mechanics.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease (Osteochronrosis):

“Growing pain” at the knee, a temporary condition creating a patellar tendonitis due to the growth of the bones being faster than the muscles.

Osteoarthritis ( also called Osteoarthrosis ,or degenerative joint disease):

a disorder of the joints, characterized by progressive deterioration of the articular cartilage. It is the most common joint disease, affecting more than 80 percent of those who reach the age of 70. Although its suffix indicates otherwise, osteoarthritis is not characterized by excessive joint inflammation as is the case with rheumatoid arthritis. The disease may be asymptomatic, especially in the early years of its onset. As it progresses, however, pain, stiffness, and a limitation in movement may develop. Common sites of discomfort are the vertebrae, knees, and hips--joints that bear much of the weight of the body.

Osteochondritis Dessicans:

A piece of bone and/or cartilage loosened from its attachment after trauma and a cause of a lesion.

Osteomyelitis:

An inflammatory disease of bone caused usually by infection with streptococcus or staphylococcus.

Osteoporosis:

Loss of calcium and other substances from bones, causing bones to become weak and prone to fractures.

Overtraining:

A condition that results from undertaking more physical activity than your body can reasonably do. Symptoms include fatigue, pain, loss of appetite, and more. Treatment is to rest.

Overuse Syndromes:

A result of repetitive stess to body structures.

Oxidation:

Combining a substance with oxygen.

Phone: (410) 229-0055 | Email: info@herefordpt.com
© 2008 Hereford Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, Inc.
Website maintained by Armistead Technologies, Llc.^tm