Medical terms, in plain English

A

Anesthesiology

The medical specialty focused on managing pain, sedation, and the body’s response to surgery. Pain medicine is a sub-specialty of anesthesiology in Ontario.

Anti-inflammatory

A medication or treatment that reduces inflammation — the swelling, redness, and pain that come with irritated tissue.

B

Bursa

A small fluid-filled cushion between bones and soft tissue. When a bursa gets irritated it’s called bursitis.

C

Cervical

Relating to the neck. The cervical spine is the seven vertebrae between the skull and the upper back.

Corticosteroid

A strong anti-inflammatory medication (often shortened to “steroid” in clinic) used to calm down irritated nerves, joints, or tendons. Not the same as the steroids used by athletes.

CT scan

Short for computed tomography. A scan that uses X-rays to build a detailed cross-section image of bone and soft tissue.

D

Diagnostic block

A small injection of local anesthetic placed at a suspected pain source. If your pain drops for a few hours, that confirms the source — useful before deciding on longer-term treatment.

Disc

The cushion between two vertebrae. Discs absorb shock and let the spine bend; an injured disc can press on a nerve and cause pain.

E

Epidural

An injection placed just outside the membrane that surrounds the spinal cord and nerves. Used to deliver anti-inflammatory medication near an irritated nerve root.

F

Facet joint

One of the small paired joints at the back of each spinal level that lets the spine bend and twist. Facet joints can become a source of neck or back pain on their own.

Fluoroscopy

Live X-ray imaging used during a procedure. It lets the doctor watch the needle in real time so the medication ends up exactly where it should.

Foramen

A small opening in a bone. In the spine, the foramina are the side openings where nerve roots exit the spinal canal.

H

Hyaluronic acid

A gel-like substance that the body already makes inside healthy joints. Injected hyaluronic acid is sometimes used to lubricate an arthritic knee or hip.

I

Image-guided

Procedures done while watching a live X-ray or ultrasound screen, instead of by feel. Image guidance improves accuracy and lowers the dose of medication needed.

Inflammation

The body’s response to injury or irritation — heat, swelling, redness, and pain. Useful for healing in the short term, but can drive chronic pain when it sticks around.

Injection

Delivering medication through a needle. Pain-medicine injections are usually small volumes placed precisely at a joint, nerve, or tendon under image guidance.

Interlaminar

A route into the spinal epidural space that goes between two vertebral plates (laminae). One of two common ways to deliver an epidural injection.

Intervertebral

Between vertebrae. Often used to describe the disc that sits between two spinal bones.

J

Joint

Where two bones meet. Joints can be hinge-like (knee), ball-and-socket (hip, shoulder), or planar (facet joints in the spine).

K

Kenalog

A brand name for triamcinolone, a long-acting corticosteroid commonly used in joint and soft-tissue injections.

L

Lidocaine

A short-acting local anesthetic. Numbs a small area of skin or tissue for a few hours — used at the start of most injections.

Lumbar

Relating to the lower back. The lumbar spine is the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis.

M

MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging. A scan that uses magnets and radio waves (no radiation) to show soft tissues like discs, nerves, and ligaments in detail.

N

Nerve block

An injection that places anesthetic — sometimes with steroid — onto or near a specific nerve to either diagnose where pain is coming from or to calm it down.

Neuralgia

Pain that comes from a nerve itself rather than from muscle, bone, or joint. Often described as burning, electric, or stabbing.

Neuromodulation

Treatments that change how nerves send pain signals — for example, low-level electrical stimulation or radiofrequency. Used when medication and injections aren’t enough.

Neuropathic

Pain caused by damage or irritation to a nerve. Sciatica and post-shingles pain are common examples.

O

OHIP

The Ontario Health Insurance Plan — Ontario’s public health insurance. OHIP covers most of what we do; some procedures are funded another way.

Opioid

A class of strong pain medication (e.g. morphine, oxycodone). Used carefully and short-term in pain medicine because of dependence and side-effect risks.

Osteoarthritis

“Wear-and-tear” arthritis. The cartilage that cushions a joint gradually thins, leading to stiffness, ache, and reduced range of motion.

P

Periphery

The arms, legs, and other parts of the body away from the spine and brain. Peripheral nerves run from the spine out to the periphery.

PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma)

A treatment made by spinning a small sample of your own blood to concentrate the platelets, then injecting them into an injured tendon or joint to support healing.

R

Radicular pain

Pain that travels down an arm or leg along the path of a nerve, usually because that nerve is being irritated where it leaves the spine. Sciatica is the best-known example.

Radiculopathy

Nerve-root irritation that causes not just pain but also weakness, numbness, or reflex changes in the arm or leg the nerve serves.

Radiofrequency ablation

A procedure that uses a heated needle tip to interrupt the small nerves that carry pain signals from a specific joint — typically used after a successful diagnostic block. Pain relief often lasts 6–18 months.

S

Sacroiliac

Relating to the sacroiliac (SI) joint, where the base of the spine meets the pelvis. SI-joint pain is felt in the buttock and lower back.

Sciatica

Pain that runs from the lower back or buttock down the back of the leg, usually caused by a pinched nerve in the lumbar spine.

Steroid

Short for corticosteroid — a strong anti-inflammatory used in injections to calm an irritated nerve or joint. Not the same as anabolic steroids.

T

Tendinitis vs Tendinopathy

Tendinitis means an inflamed tendon (short-term). Tendinopathy means a tendon that has become weak and degenerated over time. Treatment differs — chronic tendinopathy responds to loading and PRP more than to anti-inflammatories.

Thoracic

Relating to the upper and mid back. The thoracic spine is the twelve vertebrae attached to the rib cage.

Transforaminal

A route into the spinal epidural space that goes through the side opening (foramen) where a specific nerve root exits. Targets one nerve very precisely.

Trigger point

A tight, tender knot in a muscle that can refer pain elsewhere. Trigger-point injections place a small amount of anesthetic directly into the knot to release it.

U

Ultrasound-guided

Procedures done while watching a live ultrasound screen. Ultrasound guidance is radiation-free and is well suited to soft-tissue and joint injections in the limbs.

V

Vertebra

One of the bones that stack to form the spine. The plural is vertebrae. There are 33 in total.