7 Weird Medical Terms and What They Mean

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If studying to become a health care professional or just a patient who overheard something weird, it can be confusing to hear some of the medical jargon that’s going around. Everything from animal names to the suggestive can be used to describe a wide variety of medical lingo. To help you get a better idea, we have gathered just seven weird medical terms as well as what they mean.

  1. Spastic colon – The first word can often be used to describe someone who is scatterbrained. But did you know that it also has medical implications? When a colon is spastic, it can be an umbrella term to describe everything from pain, constipation, diarrhea, and more.
  2. Cardiac tamponade – The first word refers to the heart and the second to a feminine hygiene product. The entire term means a condition in which there is a buildup of blood or other fluid in the heart.
  3. Cul-de-sac – In regular speak, it is where a street dead ends and there are a row of houses there. In medical speak, it is slang for the g-spot.
  4. Frog leg – It isn’t a weird condition that can twist up someone’s legs. It is actually the term used when an x-ray or other image is taken of a leg from the lateral, or side, angle. Because the leg is often turned out, it is referred to as a frog leg.
  5. Jail fever – You don’t have to be in corrections or have a high temperature to have this. It refers to an infection of bacteria that is spread by either or both lice and fleas.
  6. Vally fever – It may sound like the latest prime-time soap, but it also refers to an infection. This one is contracted by breathing a certain fungus that grows in the dessert.
  7. ICD-9 Code E845 – If you think there’s not a medical code for everything, check out this one. It is actually the code for someone who is hurt in an accident involving a spacecraft. It isn’t used commonly but has been thought to have been used more frequently back in the 60’s.

Casey Roberts is a student and also writes for Radiology Assistant which helps students find the right radiology degree.

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