International Association for the Study of Pain pain terminology
Alexander Technique Science motor control glossary
Additional Terms
| Co-contraction | Simultaneous activation of muscles on opposite sides of a joint. Elevated co-contraction can result in stiffness. |
| endogenous opioids | Opioids created by the body internally. |
| interoception | Interoception is the collection of senses providing information to the organism about the internal state of the body. This can be both conscious and subconscious. |
| Limbic system | Part of the brain involved in emotion and mood |
| Lordosis | Lordosis is a term used to describe the inward curves in the spine commonly found in the lumbar and cervical areas. The cervical area has a lordotic range of 20-35 degrees and the lumbar ranges between 40-60 degrees. When the curvature exceeds these ranges it is considered hyperlordosis. |
| Medial | Toward the midline |
| neuron | Nerve cell, also known as nerve fiber. |
| pre-frontal cortex | part of the brain involved in attention, decision-making and thoughts |
| somatosensory nervous system | The part of the nervous system that contributes to feeling. Information goes from the periphery to the brain, also known as afferent information. |
| spike | Refers to a message (electrical impulse) being sent by the neuron. |
| withdrawal reflex | |