Author: Glossary
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Supine
Refers to the body lying in a face-up position. Lying on the back. With the palm of the hand facing upwards. Positioning of a patient lying on the back with the palms facing up. Lying on the back or with the face upward. Lying on the back, face upwards; or the position of the forearm…
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Supination
Rotating the palm outward so it faces forward in anatomical position. Shift the body weight to the outside of the foot. The act of turning the hand so that the palm faces upwards. The position of lying on the back (face up) or the outward rotation of the arm (palm upward). The act of turning…
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Superior vena cava
Large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body into the right atrium. The body’s largest vein. Vein that returns deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the t atrium of the heart; it is the second longest vein in the body. Large vessel that returns blood from…
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Submaximal exercise heart rate
Heart rate taken during steady-state submaximal exercise.
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Subcutaneous fat
Body fat found just beneath the skin. Fat deposited in the adipose tissue immediately under the skin’s surface constitutes approximately 80% of the body’s stored fat. The fat cell layer just beneath the skin. A segment of adipose tissue, situated in close proximity to the dermis, and responsible for the storage of energy in the…
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Stroke volume
The amount of blood pumped by a ventricle in one heartbeat. The volume of blood ejected by each ventricle of the heart during a single systole. Amount of blood ejected from the ventricles with each beat of the heart. The amount of blood pumped by the heart with each beat. The amount of blood pumped…
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Stroke
An obstruction of an artery in the brain. Gross cerebral hemorrhage or softening of the brain following hemorrhage, thrombosis, or embolism of the cerebral arteries. Symptoms may include coma, paralysis (particularly on one side of the body), convulsions, aphasia, and other neurological signs determined by the location of the lesion. Also known as cerebrovascular accident…
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Stretch reflex
A muscle contraction in response to stretching within the muscle that provides automatic regulation of skeletal muscle length. Protects a muscle from being overstretched and damaged by limiting its range of movement. The reflex contraction of a muscle in response to a sudden stretch of the muscle beyond its normal length. Serves to protect the…
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Stress fracture
A fracture (often incomplete) of the bone resulting from repeated low-level stress for a long period of time; also called a fatigue fracture. Fracture caused by stress, overuse or pathological weakness of the bone in the foot or leg. A fine hairline break in bone that occurs with out acute trauma, is clinically symptomatic, and…
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Streamlined flow
Continuous, steady movement of a fluid.