| Ca Cd |  |
| Caecum | A blind-ended ‘pocket’ that links the small and large intestines. |
| Caesarean section | Surgical alternative to natural child birth, where the baby is removed from the womb via an opening that has been cut into the abdomen. |
| Calcium | A mineral found in bones and teeth. It is also needed in many processes that take place within the body, such as muscle contraction. |
| Calcium antagonists | A group of drugs that affect the movement of calcium in the muscles in the walls of the heart and blood vessels. Since this calcium movement is important in allowing muscles to contract, these drugs reduce the strength of muscles in the heart and blood vessels. This results in a weaker heartbeat wider blood vessels and has the effect of reducing blood pressure. |
Calculus
Plural: Calculi | Stone-like structures formed within the body, particularly in the gall bladder (called gallstones), bladder (called bladder stones) and kidneys (called kidney stones). |
| Capillaries | Very thin blood vessels. They form extensive networks throughout the body to ensure that all tissues are supplied with enough blood. Blood enters the capillaries from small arteries (arterioles) and then drains from the capillaries into small veins (called venules). The walls of the capillaries are very thin, which makes it easier for substances, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and nutrients to pass between the blood and surrounding tissues. |
| Carbohydrate | One of the three main groups of food needed by the body. Examples of carbohydrates include sugars like glucose and sucrose, and starch. They are a useful source of energy for the body. |
| Carbon dioxide | Gas that is present in the atmosphere. It is produced as a waste product in the body and is usually removed through the lungs by breathing out. |
| Cardiac | Relating to the heart, e.g., cardiac surgery is surgery on the heart. |
| Cardiac muscle | Specialised muscle of the heart that has the property of being able to relax and contract throughout life without becoming tired or stopping. |
| Cardiovascular system | Body system consisting of the heart, blood vessels, and the circulating blood. |
| Care package | Collection of information, practical adaptations and personal contact details that a person with SCI needs to have around them in order to maintain an independent life. |
| Carpal tunnel syndrome | Condition caused by continual pressure on a nerve in the wrist. Symptoms include numbness, pain and tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers. |
| Cartilage | Dense grey or white tissue that is used to support, provide shape or to protect various parts of the body. For example, cartilage is found in the ear, nose and windpipe. It is also found on the ends of bones within joints, to allow the bones to move against each other more smoothly and to cushion them against shock during movement. |
| Catheter | The term catheter refers to a thin flexible tube that is inserted through a narrow opening to let fluid pass into, or drain from, the body.
A urinary catheter is a thin, flexible tube that is inserted into the bladder, to allow urine to drain to the outside. Catheters are frequently made of either latex or silicone (or a combination of both). Latex is a strong flexible material, and silicone is a substance that allows easy insertion. |
| Catheterisation | The process of inserting a catheter. |
| Cauda equina | The fan- or horsetail-shaped array of nerves leaving the base of the spinal cord (seen below the first lumbar vertebrae). |
| Ce Cg | |
| Cell body | The main part of a nerve cell (neurone) that appears as a swelling on the thread-like cell. It contains important cell structures, like the nucleus. |
| Central nervous system (CNS) | The brain and spinal cord. |
| Central pain | Type of pain that is due to damage to the spinal cord itself. |
| Central pain syndrome | Recognisable pattern of pain that occurs due to damage to the spinal cord itself. |
| Cerebellum | A large and important structure at the back of the brain. |
| Cerebrovascular accident | Sudden bursting or blockage of a blood vessel in the brain, which causes serious bleeding or blocks blood circulation. This leads to a stroke. |
| Cerebrum | The large frontal area of the human brain. |
| Cervical | Describing or related to the neck. Cervical vertebrae are the vertebrae (bones) at the top of the spine, which are found in the neck. A cervical fracture is a break in the vertebrae in the neck. |
| Ch Cn | |
| Chest drainage | Removal of unwanted fluids (secretions, such as mucus) that have built up in the airways of the lungs. Various methods of drainage may be used, including draining by gravity (postural drainage), or by clapping on the chest walls to help dislodge the secretions (percussion drainage). |
| Cholesterol | A fat-like material that is present in the blood as well as many body tissues, e.g., the nervous system. A cholesterol level that is too high may lead to blood vessel damage. |
| Chronic | Long term, e.g., a medical problem that is continuous and lasts for a long period of time. |
| Chronic pain syndromes | Patterns of pain that occur over a long period of time. |
| Circulation | Term commonly used to refer to the blood circulation – the route that the blood takes as it travels around the body through the blood vessels. |
| Cleansing agents | Substances that are used to clean an area, e.g., soap. |
| Co Ct | |
| Coccyx | Small triangular bone positioned at the base of the spine. It is joined to the bottom of the sacrum. |
| Colon | The main part of the large intestine (large bowel). It can be divided into four parts – the ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and sigmoid colon. By the time the food residue reaches the colon it has already been digested, and once in the colon, excess water is absorbed back into the body. The food residue is moved along the colon towards the end of the digestive tract (the rectum). |
| Colonic | Relating to the colon – part of the large intestine (large bowel). |
| Compression | Squashing or forcing an object onto itself – usually making it take up less space. Compression of the spine occurs when the bone of the vertebrae are pushed closer together during injury. |
| Compression Stockings | Specialised stockings that are worn to prevent poor blood circulation in the legs. |
| Computerised (axial) tomography (CT or CAT scan) | A special form of X-ray examination that takes many X-ray images of an area of the body. It then uses a computer to put these images together to form a ross sectional. |
| Condom | Rubber sheath that is placed over the penis to prevent sperm or any sexually transmitted disease being passed onto the female during sex. It is a common contraceptive method – i.e., technique for preventing pregnancy. |
| Condom catheter | A method of draining urine in men that involves placing a rubber or plastic sheath around the penis, which is connected to a tube at the tip, along which urine can drain into a bag. |
| Connective tissue | Packing material that exists within and/or between the more specialised structures of the body, and acts to support, bind or separate these structures. |
| Constipation | Condition where it becomes difficult to empty faeces from the bowel. |
| Constrict | Make narrower. |
| Contract | An active process in which a muscle becomes shorter. This can bring about movement by creating a pulling force on the parts of the body that the muscles are attached to. Contractions may also simply change the shape of part of the body, for example, the muscles found in the walls of tubes (like blood vessels). |
| Contracture | Damage to a muscle or surrounding tissue that causes them to become shorter. This leads to deformity of nearby joints. |
Conus
Conus medullaris | The cone shaped area at the lower end of the spinal cord (found between the eleventh thoracic vertebrae and the first lumbar vertebrae). |
| Coronary heart disease | Damage to the heart that occurs because its blood supply is reduced. Fatty deposits build up on the linings of the blood vessels that supply the heart muscles with blood, causing them to narrow. The narrowing reduces the blood supply to the heart muscles and causes pain known as angina. |
| Cranial nerves | Pairs of nerves that leave the brain and pass through holes in the skull, to lead to and from places such as the eyes, nose and muscles of the face. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves. |
| Cross-infection | Becoming infected by something (e.g., bacteria), that originates from a source other than the person themselves. For example, a person who uses a catheter may become cross-infected if they catch an infection from someone else changing their catheter. |
| Cu Cz | |
| Culture | The process of ‘growing’ living organisms/cells, e.g., bacteria, in special conditions to analyse them. |
| Curvature | A bend that may be present in a particular body structure, e.g., the spine. |
| Cyst | An abnormal sac or closed space in the body that is filled with fluid or semi-solid material. |
| Cystoscopy | Examination of the bladder using an instrument called a cystoscope. A cystoscope is a long thin instrument that is inserted into the bladder through the urethra (tube leading to the outside). It contains a light and a telescope that can relay pictures back through the instrument to a display screen. |
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