Orthopaedics · Skeletal System · Medium

Laminectomy

Meaning: Surgical removal of the back part of a vertebra to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

In practice: Lumbar laminectomy relieved his spinal stenosis symptoms and improved his walking distance.

Word parts

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

Two questions on related orthopaedics words.

Which word means: Boat-shaped carpal bone in the proximal row on the thumb side of the wrist.

Which word means: The shoulder blade — a flat triangular bone at the back of the shoulder.

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