A
Abduction: To draw a limb away from the side of the body.
Adduction: To draw a limb toward or past the middle of the body.
Agility: The ability to stop, start, and change the direction of the body or body parts in a controlled manner.
Anthropometry: The science of measurement and the art of application that establishes the physical geometry, mass properties, and strength capabilities of the human body.
Awkward Postures: Any fixed or constrained body position.

B
Balance: Ability to maintain body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing, crouching, or running on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces.
Biomechanics: Uses laws of physics and engineering concepts to describe motion of various body segments and the forces acting on these body parts during normal daily activities.
Body Mechanics: The study of proper body movement to prevent and correct posture problems, reduce stress and enhance physical capabilities.
Bursitis: Inflammation caused by acute or repetitive traumatic impact to the bursa, repetitive stress through overuse of the joint, and infection.

C
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Compression of the median nerve at the wrist area that results in, numbness, tingling and pain.
Cognitive Ergonomics: Concerned with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system.
Computer Vision Syndrome: The term used to identify eye fatigue caused by prolonged viewing of a computer monitor.
Contact stress: This results from occasional, repeated or continuous contact between sensitive body tissue and a hard or sharp object.
Critical Demands: These are the physical requirements needed to perform the job task.
Critical Demand Elements: The motions required to meet the critical demands, including flexion, extension, rotation, etc.
Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: This is pressure on the ulnar nerve behind the funny bone causing numbness and tingling in the ring and small fingers of the hand.
Cumulative Trauma Disorders: Injuries that result from repeated micro traumas to the musculoskeletal system over a course of time.

D
DeQuervain's Disease: Constriction of the tendon sheath on the side of the wrist and at the base of the thumb that results in pain.
Dynamic Effort: Characterized by an alternation of contraction and extension, tension and relaxation of a muscle.

E
Early Intervention Screening: A tool designed to address early signs and symptoms of MSDs before an injury occurs.
Electromyogram (EMG): Recording of the electrically activity of a muscle.
Environmental nuisance factors: Include micro-shock, noise, vibration, illumination, heat/cold, ventilation, color.
Epicondylitis: Tendonitis at the elbow.
Ergonomics: The study of the interaction between human beings, the objects they use and the environments in which they function.
Ergonomic Hazards: Workplace conditions that pose a biochemical stress to the worker.
Ergonomic Risk Analysis (ERA): A study designed to recognize potential ergonomic risk factors and includes reasonable recommendations to reduce identified job hazards.
Ergonomic Risk Factors: Awkward (Non-Neutral) postures, static muscle loading, repetition, force, contact pressure, and vibration.
Ergonomist: Refers to a person who possesses a recognized degree or professional credentials in ergonomics or a closely allied field and who has demonstrated, through knowledge and experience, the ability to identify and recommend effective means of correction for ergonomic hazards in the workplace.
Ergonomic Team: Refers to those responsible for identifying and correcting ergonomic hazards in a workplace.
Extension: An unbending movement that increases the angle between the bones of the limb at a joint.
Extensor Muscles: A group of muscles in the forearm that serve to lift or extend the wrist and hand.
Extrinsic Stress (or sometimes called organizational factors): can be defined as the way in which work is structured, supervised and processed.

F
Far Acuity: Defined as clarity of vision at 20 feet or more.
Fascia: A sheet of connective tissue covering or binding together body structures.
Field of Vision: Defined as observing an area that can be seen up and down or to right or left while eyes are fixed on a given point.
Fingering: Picking, pinching, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand or arm as in handling.
Flexion: A bending movement that decreases the angle between the bones of the limb at a joint.
Force: The load, in pounds of pressure, put on the body.
Functional Capacity Evaluation: An intensive short-term evaluation that focuses on major physical tolerance abilities related to musculoskeletal strength, endurance, speed and flexibility.

G
Ganglion Cyst: Occurs when a tendon sheath swells up with synovial fluid and causes a bump under the skin.
Golfers Elbow: Medial (at the inside of the elbow) epicondylitis. See epicondylitis.
Goniometer: A device used for measuring the range of joint movement.
Guyon’s Syndrome: Ulnar neuropathy most commonly occurs secondary to compression or injury at the elbow as the ulnar nerve passes through the cubital tunnel.

H
Hand/Wrist: The neutral position of the wrist is when it is held in a straight to slightly extended position. Awkward postures of the wrist include extreme wrist bending (i.e. flexion and extension) and wrist deviation (radial and ulnar deviation).

I
Isometric Work: When a muscle contracts and exerts a force against resistance without producing any motion.
Isotonic: Muscle contraction in the absence of resistance.
Ischial Tuberosities: Two bony prominences forming the lowest point of the pelvis. When in a seated position our weight rests on them.
Inflammation: Process whereby the immune system reacts to infection or other stimulus, characterized by pain, swelling, redness, and warmth of the affected part

J
Job Site Analysis: A detailed description of the job demands of a particular job and is based on ergonomic principles. The frequent and infrequent job tasks, as well as the essential, are described in detail.

K
Kinesiology: The study of human movements as a function of the construction of the musculoskeletal system.
Kinetics: The branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of a body under the action of given forces.
Kyphosis: Convexity of the spine, as observed in the mid back region.

L
Lateral: Related to the side.
Ligament: Connective tissues attaching bone to bone.
Lordosis: Concave curvature of the spine, which exist in the neck and low back regions.
Lumbosacral Joint: Joint between the 5th lumbar vertebra and sacrum.

M
Median Nerve: Nerve from the neck that activates muscles that pronate the forearm and flex forearm, wrists, and fingers while also providing sensory feedback for the thumb and first two and one-half fingers.
Medial: Related to the middle.
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs): Disorders that involve the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, blood vessels and/or nerves. These disorders include, but are not limited to; tendonitis, epicondylitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, low back strain and DeQuervain's disease.
Muscle Recovery: Muscles and other soft tissues must have the appropriate time to rest and relax and replace oxygen, sugars and nutrients to avoid fatigue and tissue damage.

N
Near Acuity: Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less.
Nerve Compression: External pressure on a nerve resulting in symptoms of tingling, numbness and loss of sensation.
Neutral Posture: The absence of flexion, extension and deviation of a joint.

O
Organizational Ergonomics: Is concerned with the optimization of sociotechnical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes.
Overuse Syndrome: A condition where a part of the body is injured by repeatedly overusing or exerting to much strain on that body part. Strain occurs when the body part is called on to work harder, stretch farther, impact more directly or otherwise function at a greater level then it is prepared to do.

P
Physical Demand Factors: Described in relationship to twenty different factors including Strength, Climbing, Balancing, Stooping, Kneeling, Crouching, Crawling, Reaching, Handling, Fingering, Feeling, Talking, Hearing, Tasting/Smelling, Near Acuity, Far Acuity, Accommodation, Environment, Color Vision, Field of Vision.
Posture: The position of a specific articulation on a body part relative to an adjacent body part, determined by the angle of the joint connecting them. From head to toe, a good sitting posture is necessary to help minimize stress on your body. Even the way you position your feet can affect how you feel.
Pronation: Medial rotation of the forearm that brings the palm of the hand downward.

R
Radial Deviation: Bending the wrist toward the thumb.
Range of Motion: The degree of movement that a body segment has at a joint.
Recovery: Consists of operations containing pauses, rest, or scheduled breaks, or motions and exertions that provide specific muscle groups and joints the opportunity to recover through reduced magnitude.
Repetitive Work: Occurs if the cycle time for an activity is less than 30 seconds, or if more than 50% of the cycle time involves performing the same motion.
Risk: To expose to hazard or danger. It is a function of the frequency, duration and intensity of an exposure.

S
Strain: When tendon fibers are completely or partially torn apart or frayed. See tendon.
Sprain: When ligament tissue is torn completely or partially from the bone. See ligament.
Static Effort: Characterized by a prolonged state of muscle contraction. According to Kroemer and Grandjean static effort is said to be considerable if a high level of effort is maintained for 10 seconds or more, if moderate effort persists for 1 minute of more and if slight effort lasts for 5 minutes of more.
Static Work: Work that occurs when effort must be made to hold the body in a prolonged position.
Stress: A physical, cognitive or emotional load.
Supination: Lateral rotation of the forearm that brings the palm of the hand upward.
Symptom Magnification: The conscious or sub-conscious tendency of an individual to under-rate his or her abilities and/or over-state his or her limitations. Symptom magnification is measured through assessment of observed functional performance.
Systems Approach: A comprehensive program by the employer to eliminate or reduce all types of hazards to employees.

T
Temperatures: Cold temperatures or extreme heat can reduce the dexterity and sensitivity of the hand, causing employees to apply more grip force to hold objects.
Tendon: Connective tissue attaching muscle to bone
Tendonitis: Inflammation of the tendon.
Tendon Sheaths: Tubular structures through which tendons run. They are lined with a synovial membrane and, therefore, not only guide but also lubricate the tendons.
Tenosynovitis: Inflammation of the tendon sheaths.
Tennis Elbow: Lateral (at the outside of the elbow) epicondylitis. See epicondylitis.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome: Compression of the nerves and blood vessels between the neck and shoulder that results in numbness in the fingers of the hand.
Trigger Finger. (See Tenosynovitis) can progress causing a narrowing of the inflamed tendon sheath preventing the smooth movement of the tendon through the digital pulley system.

U
Ulnar Nerve: The ulnar nerve is the nerve that supplies part of the cutaneous nerves to the hand that innervates the area of the small finger and the lateral half of fourth digit. It also supplies the motor innervations of the small muscles for the adduction of the fingers.
Ulnar Deviation: Bending the wrist toward the little finger.

V
Vibration Syndrome: Closure of the digital arteries in response to tissues being exposed to vibration.

W
Work: The amount of energy required to move a body and the body's load from one position to another.
Work Capacity Evaluation: An evaluation to collect reliable information about current (vocational) status and estimate potential (vocational) status.
Worker Predisposing Factors: Those factors might increase a person’s probability of developing an MSD.
Worksite Evaluation: The purpose of an ergonomic evaluation is to identify occupational injury risk factors and make appropriate recommendations based on current guidelines.