Suffixes used In Suffixes used In Medical TerminologyMedical TerminologyCreated by Brooke Markward

-taxia-taxia

The suffix -taxia means muscular coordination.

AtaxiaAtaxia

When talking about -taxia and the nervous system, ataxia comes to mind.

Ataxia is the lack of coordination of muscle movements.

Ataxia occurs when there is a dysfunction in parts of the nervous system that coordinate muscle movements. For example, the cerebellum.

Causes of AtaxiaCauses of Ataxia

Ataxia can occur when a person has a stroke, brain tumor, multiple sclerosis, etc.

The part of body that is affected depends on the part of the brain that was affected, for example if the left side of the brain has the stroke, the right side of the body will experience ataxia.

Causes of AtaxiaCauses of Ataxia

Sensory ataxia means the person has a loss of sensitivity to a joint and body part position.

If there is damage to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which consists of the cranial and spinal nerves, then the person may have localized sensory ataxia. There may only be one limb affected.

Treatment for AtaxiaTreatment for Ataxia

There is no specific treatment but there is physical therapy available to help reduce the disability.

The person may wear leg braces or shoe splints, or could also use a cane or walker to help them to not fall.

-algesia-algesia

The suffix -algesia means pain and sensitivity.

AnalgesiaAnalgesia

Analgesia is the absence of any pain or sensation.

This could happen accidentally or on purpose and to relieve pain.

Cause of AnalgesiaCause of Analgesia

Normally when a person touches an object, nerves fibers send that information to the spinal cord and to the brain.

Analgesia happens when there is an interruption between the brain and a sense organ.

The interruption can occur when the nerve that supplies that area is damaged.

AnalgesiaAnalgesia

Pain and temperature sensations often travel through the same nerve bundles so both of these sensations could be lost together.

Analgesia is not always a bad thing. Doctors use analgesics to relieve a person from pain.