KNEE Dictionary beginning with G

The Galeazzi procedure is a surgical procedure to stabilise the patella.

The gastrocnemius muscle is the big muscle that makes the bulge at the back of the calf.

Gateshead rods are tiny carbon fibre rods used in the 1980s, and which were inserted into drill holes on damaged joint cartilage to encourage the passage of repair cells from the underlying bone marrow.

The General Medical Council is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom.

A General Practitioner (GP) is the term used by many English speaking countries for the Primary Care Physician (PCP) or Family Doctor.

Genu valgum means 'knock knee'.

Genu varum means 'bow knees' or 'bow-legs'.

Gerdy's tubercle is the bony bump on the outer side of the tibia bone just below the knee joint, and to which attaches stabilising bands of tissue - the iliotibial band and tensor fascia lata.

Page updated March 2024 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

When one talks of the knee 'giving way' it means that the knee suddenly and unexpectedly is unable to support the person, and the leg just buckles, leading to stumbling or falling.

Glucosamine is an amino sugar that is found in the 'extra cellular matrix' (background material) of cartilage and is thought to promote its formation and repair.

'Gon' means 'knee' and 'gonarthritis' simply refers to arthritic damage in the knee.

'Gon' means 'knee'. 'Arthrosis' means 'disorder of the joint'. Gonarthrosis thus means a disorder of the knee joint, generally implying early joint surface damage of any kind.

A goniometer is a device for measuring the range of motion of a joint.

Gore-Tex is the trade name for expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Gout is a disorder characterised by severe, painful joint inflammation due to the deposition in the joint of uric acid crystals.

Abbreviation for General Practitioner, ie family doctor.

The gracilis is one of the 'pes anserinus' tendons. 

Grade IV arthritis is arthritic destruction of the joint cartilage to the point of exposure of the underlying bone.

A graft is an implantation of body tissue into a different situation, where it will grow its own blood supply and start to function in the new postion.

Graft fixation is the mechanism by which a graft is attached to bone.

A graft 'harvest' is the procedure of taking body material for use in a graft, such as a ligament graft, a meniscus graft or a bone graft.

Page updated October 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)

Graft impingement is when a graft, such as a cruciate ligament reconstruction graft, interferes with the smooth functioning of the joint by scraping along the sharp edge of bone or by bunching up into a lump.

A graft versus host reaction is when a transplant reacts against the host, and the person becomes unwell as a result.

A graze is a superficial injury where the knee is scraped along a rough surface, eg the road.

Gross anatomy means anatomy that you can see with your eyes, not needing to use a microscope to see the individual cells.

A growth factor is a naturally occurring protein capable of stimulating cellular growth, proliferation, healing, and cellular differentiation.

The growth plate or physis is a region near the end of the bone from which the new bone cells develop before the person reaches maturity, when it closes.

The growth spurt is that period in teenage years when an adolescent grows very suddenly.