Medical Terminology Simplified

SECTION REVIEW 10-1

For the following medical terms, first write the suffix and its meaning. Then translate the meaning of the
remaining elements starting with the first part of the word. The first word is completed for you.

Term Meaning

1.my/o/sarcoma -sarcoma: malignant tumor of connective tissue; muscle

2.my/o/rrhaphy

3.hemi/plegia

4.ten/o/tomy

5.cost/o/chondr/itis

6.tend/o/lysis

7.my/o/pathy

8. lumb/o/cost/al

9.tendin/itis

10.my/algia

Competency Verification:Check your answers in Appendix B: Answer Key, page 595. If you are not satisfied with
your level of comprehension, review the vocabulary and retake the review.

Correct Answers × 10 = % Score

MUSCLES

Types of Muscle Fibers

There are three types of muscular fibers or tissue:

• Skeletal muscle fibersare composed of striations that move bones of the skeleton and work mainly in a volun-
  tary manner. Muscle fibers contract in response to stimulation and then relax when the stimulation ends. Their
  activity can be consciously controlled by neurons that are part of the somatic (voluntary) division of the nerv-
  ous system. To some extent, skeletal muscles are also controlled subconsciously. For example, the diaphragm
  continues to alternately contract and relax without conscious control so that breathing does not stop.


• Cardiac muscle fibers, also composed of striations, are found only in the heart and form most of the heart wall.
  The alternating contraction and relaxation of the heart is involuntary and is not consciously controlled. Rather,
  the heart beats because it has a pacemaker that initiates each contraction. This built-in rhythm is called autorhyth-
  micity.Several hormones and neurotransmitters can adjust heart rate by speeding or slowing the pacemaker.


• Smooth muscle fibersare shorter and lack the striations of skeletal and cardiac muscle tissue. For this reason,
  the tissue has a smooth appearance, which gives it its name. The action of smooth muscle is usually involun-
  tary and some smooth muscle tissue, such as the muscles that propel food through the gastrointestinal tract,
  has autorhythmicity. Smooth muscle and cardiac muscle are regulated by neurons that are part of the auto-
  nomic (involuntary) division of the nervous system and hormones released by endocrine glands.

Muscles • CHAPTER 10 457