Glossary
| Abduction | Moving away from the midline of the body |
| Acetabulum | Cup shaped socket of the hip bone |
| Achilles tendon | A large tendon connecting the calf muscles to the heel bone |
| Adducted | To move a limb or any other part towards the midline of the body |
| Amputation | Surgical removal of all or part of a limb |
| Anaesthetic | Type of medication used to block pain during treatment |
| Anterior | At or towards the front |
| Arthrogram | X-ray with dye inserted to give a better view of a joint |
| Avascular necrosis (AVN) | Bone tissue damage due to lack of blood flow to the tissue |
| Barlow manoeuvre | A short physical test performed on newborns to assess whether the hip can be gently dislocated |
| Bilateral | Affecting both sides |
| Boots and bar | Type of brace used to keep the feet in the corrected position during treatment for clubfoot |
| Breech | Position of the baby in the womb, so that it will be delivered buttocks first |
| Calcaneum (os calcis)/calcaneus | Heel bone |
| Clinical psychologist | A mental health specialist |
| Closed reduction | A procedure to bring the bones of a joint into better alignment, performed through manipulation of the bones without making an incision |
| Clubfoot/talipes/CTEV | Clubfoot is a congenital condition (present from birth) where a baby is born with one, or both, feet twisted inward and downward (definition from Global clubfoot initiative) |
| Computed tomography (CT) scan | A non-invasive 3D imaging technique used to create cross-sectional images of the body |
| Congenital | Present at birth |
| Coxa vara | A condition of the hip where the angle between the neck and shaft of the thigh bone is reduced. Often presenting as one leg being shorter than the other |
| Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) | A condition where the hip joint does not develop as expected |
| Dislocated | When bones of a joint are pushed out of their usual place relative to one another (for example in hip dislocation the head of the thighbone is positioned outside the socket and cannot be re-centred) |
| Dorsal surface/dorsum | Top of foot |
| Dorsiflexion | Bending the ankle so the foot points up |
| Dysplasia | Abnormal development of something in the body, in the hip often refers to under development of the acetabulum |
| Epiphysiodesis | Surgical procedure on the growth plate to slow or stop bone growth |
| Epiphysis | The growing section of bone |
| Eversion | Turning the sole of the foot upward |
| Femoral head | Ball shaped top of thigh bone |
| Femur | Thigh bone |
| Fibula | The smaller of the two shin bones |
| Fibular hemimelia | A condition which is present at birth where the fibula is missing or underdeveloped |
| Fixator | An orthopaedic device used to stabilise or fix the position of a bone to support healing |
| Gait | Style of walking |
| Graf method | A well-established technique using ultrasound to check newborn babies for developmental dysplasia of the hip which is used to classify the grade or level of dysplasia |
| Hip spica cast | A rigid cast designed to keep a child’s hips and legs in a fixed position |
| Idiopathic | A condition of which the cause is not known |
| Instability | When a joint does not stay in the intended position, often due to weak or injured tissues such as muscles or ligaments |
| Inversion | Turning the sole of the foot inward |
| Labrum | Ring of cartilage (tissue) that lines the outer rim of the shoulder and hip joints |
| Lateral | The outer edge |
| Lax | Loose (often used to describe ligaments which, as a result, make a joint overly flexible) |
| Leg lengthening surgery | A surgical procedure where the bone is gradually separated to allow new bone to form in the gap, making the limb longer |
| Ligament | Tough band of connective tissue that links two bones together |
| Ilizarov apparatus | A circular external fixator, used to hold bones in place while they heal |
| Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | Non-invasive imaging technique using magnets and radio waves to produce high resolution images of the body |
| Metatarsal bones | The five bones of the foot between the tarsal bones and the toes |
| Metatarsus adductus | Inward turning of the metatarsal bones which results in the foot creating a C-shape (sometimes referred to as metatarsus varus) |
| Newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE) | A full body check of babies performed 72 hours after birth and again at 6-8 weeks to identify any early health issues |
| Occupational therapist (OT) | A clinician specialising in assessing a person’s ability in completing daily tasks and offering treatment or adapted devices to allow safe completion of these tasks. |
| Open reduction | An open surgery (where an incision is made) to bring the bones of a joint into better alignment |
| Ortolani manoeuvre | A short test performed on newborns to assess if the hip can be gently relocated |
| Orthopaedics | A branch of medicine that deals with bones and joints |
| Orthopaedic device | Any tool or device (that may be worn or implanted) that is designed to support any part of the body |
| Orthosis | A splint, support, or specialist footwear such as a specialised insole (orthoses in plural) |
| Orthotist | A clinician specialising in brace, splint, and specialised footwear who will assess your needs then design, create and fit these devices |
| Osteoarthritis | A condition consisting of pain, inflammation and stiffness in one or more joints, commonly referred to as arthritis |
| Osteotomy | Surgical division (cutting) of the bone |
| Patella | The kneecap |
| Pavlik harness | A lightweight, soft fabric harness to maintain optimal position of the developing femoral head (ball) within the acetabulum (socket) |
| Pelvis | The bones at the bottom of the spine, that connect to the femur on each side to make the hip joint |
| Physiotherapist | A clinician specialising in supporting an individual to reduce pain, restore physical function and move better, through assessment, education, and treatment |
| Physis | The growth plate (where new bone growth takes place) |
| Pirani score | A 6-point system used by clinicians to determine the severity of a child’s clubfoot and to monitor progress of treatment |
| Plantar | Relating to the sole of the foot |
| Plantar flexion | Bending the ankle so the foot points down |
| Plantar surface | Sole of the foot |
| Plantigrade | The foot in a neutral position, creating a 90 degree angle at the ankle |
| Podiatrist | A clinician specialising in assessment and treatment of the feet, ankles and lower legs |
| Ponseti method | A well-researched treatment for addressing clubfoot in babies |
| Positional talipes | A temporary presentation of the foot in newborn babies where a baby’s foot (or feet) turns inwards and downwards |
| Prenatal | Before birth |
| Prognosis | A prediction of a future outcome |
| Pronation | Foot rolling inwards |
| Prosthesis | A device which replaces a body part that is missing or not fully functional |
| Prosthetist | A clinician specialising in creating and fitting prosthesis to meet the needs of the individual |
| Proximal focal femoral deficiency (PFFD) | A condition where the thigh bone does not develop properly |
| Reduction | To restore a joint to its correct position, closed reduction is done by manipulation, and open reduction is done by surgery |
| Rehabilitation | A set of interventions or therapies designed to support an individual to recover from injury, surgery, or illness and improve their ability to return to an agreed level of ability |
| Relapse | the return of a condition, disease, or symptoms after a period of improvement |
| Residual limb | The area of the body above the amputation (often referred to as stump or little leg), for example the remaining part of the amputated leg |
| Slipped capital/upper femoral epiphysis (SCFE/SUFE) | A condition where there is a change to the position of the head of the femur, the head ‘slips’ from its original position relative to the femoral neck |
| Subluxated | Partial dislocation of a joint, so that the bones are mis-aligned, but still in contact |
| Syndromic | Something (often a condition) characterised by a group of signs and symptoms that happen together |
| Talus | Bone in the foot connecting the fibula and tibia with the heelbone (calcaneus) |
| Tarsal bone | Bones in the foot between the ankle joint and the metatarsal bones |
| Tendon | A tough fibrous tissue that connects muscle to the bone |
| Tenotomy | The surgical cutting of a tendon |
| Tibia | The larger of the two shin bones |
| Tibialis anterior tendon transfer (TATT) | A surgical technique where the tendon of the tibialis anterior muscle’s attachment point is moved to improve the biomechanics of the foot |
| Tibial hemimelia | A condition which is present at birth (congenital) where the tibia is missing or underdeveloped |
| Ultrasound | A technique which uses high frequency sound waves to build up a picture of soft tissue and organs in the body |
| Unilateral | Affecting one side |
| Valgus | A position where the limb/part of the body is directed away from the midline of the body |
| Varus | A position where the limb/part of the body is directed towards the midline of the body |
| Vertical talus | A rigid deformity (the foot cannot be moved out of this position) of a bone of the foot (the talus), the foot will often point up and out |
| X-ray | A technique which uses very low dose radiation to image parts of the body, especially useful for imaging bones |
