Terminology Lesson 3, Page 4 of 20

Neuritis means inflammation of a nerve.

The suffix -itis is very common. You have undoubtedly seen it many times and are likely to come across it many more times in the future. A few more examples are:

peridontitis [peri-, around + dont- tooth, + "] - inflammation of the area around the tooth (e.g., the gum)
appendicitis - inflammation of the appendix
conjunctivitis - inflammation of the conjunctiva (the inner membrane of the eyelids)
dermatitis [derm-, skin + "] - inflammation of the skin
rhinitis [rhin-, nose + "] - inflammation of the nose
arthritis [arthr-, joint + "] - inflammation of a joint
cystitis [cyst-, sac or bladder + "] inflammation of the bladder
colitis - inflammation of the colon

We previously learned that neuro- means having to do with the nerves. It should come as no surprise that musculo- means having to do with the muscles and skeletal means having to do with the bones. Neuromusculoskeletal therefore means having to do with the nerves, muscles and bones.

It has been said that chiropractic doctors are "neuromusculoskeletal specialists." The word chiropractic" comes from two Greek combining forms; chir (or cheir) meaning "hand," and pract meaning "to do, act or practice." Therefore, it can be said that a chiropractor is a kind of doctor who practices with his or her hands.

The word pod means "foot." For example a tripod [tri-, three + pod] is a device that stands on three feet. Chiropody refers to the medical speciality of the 19th century and early 20th century that dealt with the hands and feet.

Today, chiropodists limit their practice to the treatment of conditions that affect the feet, so they are now refered to as:

foot fixers
chiropractors
podiatrists
pediatricians

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