Orthopaedics · Skeletal System · Medium
Spondylitis
Meaning: Inflammation of the vertebrae, classically in an inflammatory arthritis causing back stiffness and eventual spinal fusion in young adults.
In practice: Ankylosing spondylitis was suspected in the young man with morning back stiffness.
Word parts
- spondyl- means vertebra
- -itis means inflammation
Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.
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