Medical Abbreviations
A
a - before
ABD - abduction
ABN - abnormal
a.c. or ac - before meals
ACL - anterior cruciate ligament
ADD - adduction
ADL - activities of daily living
AE - above elbow
AAROM - Active Assistive Range Of Motion
AK - above knee
Amb - ambulating
Ant – anterior
A/O - alert & oriented
A-P or AP - anteroposterior
AROM - active range of motion
B
BE - below elbow
b.i.d. or BID - twice daily
bilat. or B/L or B - Bilateral
b.i.n. or BIN - twice a night
BIW - twice weekly
BK - below knee
BP - blood pressure
BPM - beats per minute
C
c - with
C - cervical
CI-XII - cranial nerves 1-12
C-1 to C-7 - cervical vertebrae
Ca - calcium
CC - chief complaint
CHO - carbohydrate
CN - cranial nerve
CNS - central nervous system
c/o - complains of
cont. - continuous
CPR - cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cyro – cryotherapy
CT - computed axial tomography
CV - cardiovascular
E
ECG/EKG - electrocardiogram
EEG - electroencephalogram
ENT – ears, nose, throat
EENT - eyes, ears, nose, throat
elev. – elevated
EMS – Electrical Muscle Stimulation
eval - evaluation
ex. or Ex - exercise
ext. - extremities, external
ext - extension
G
G – Good
GCS - Glasgow Coma Scale
gen - general
GH - growth hormone
GI - gastrointestinal
GP - General Practitioner
H
H or hr - hour
H/A or HA - headache
HBP - high blood pressure
H&C - hot and cold
h.d. - at bedtime
HNP – Herniated Nucleus Pulposa (Herniated Disc)
h/o - history of
HR - heart rate
Hx - history
J/K
jt. - Joint
D
d/c or DC - discontinue
decr or dec - decreased
DIP - distal interphalangeal (joint)
DOB - date of birth
DTR - deep tendon reflexes
Dx - diagnosis
F
F – Frequency
FB – Forward bending
F.B. - foreign body
FBS - fasting blood sugar
Fe - iron
FH or FHx - family history
flex. or Flex - flexion
FWB – Full Weight Bearing
Fx - fracture
I
i.d. - during the day
IM - intramuscular
incr. - increased
inf - inferior
inj - injured, injection
int. - internal
Ionto - Iontophoresis
IP - interphalangeal
irreg. - Irregular
IV - intravenous
K
K - potassium, kidney
Kcal - Kilocalorie, calorie
KJ or K-J - knee jerk
L
L - left, lumbar
L1-L5 - lumbar vertebrae
Lat - lateral
LBP - low back pain
LE - lower extremity
lig. - ligament
LLE - left lower extremity
LLQ - left lower quadrant
LMP - last menstrual period
LNMP - last normal menstrual period
LOC - loss of consciousness
LRQ - lower right quadrant
LUE - left upper extremity
LUQ - left upper quadrant
N
N – Normal
n - nerve
Na - sodium
Neg - negative
Neuro - Neurologist
NKA - no known allergies
NM - neuromuscular
NMES – Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
NS - nervous system
NSAID - nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory
NV – nausea, vomiting
NVD - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
NWB - non-weight bearing
P
p - after
P – plan, poor
P-A - posteroanterior
Palp - palpate
p/c., p.c. - after meals
PCL - posterior cruciate ligament
PE - physical examination
PERRLA - pupils equal, round, reactive to light & accommodation
PEARL – pupils equal and reactive to light
PH or PHx - past history
PIP - proximal interphalangeal
PMH - past medical history
Pn or (p) - pain
POC – Plan of care
Pos - positive
Post. - posterior
Post-op - postoperative
PRE – Progressive Resistive Exercise
pre-op - preoperative
PROM - passive range of motion
pron. - pronator, pronation
PSH - past surgical history
pt., Pt. - patient
PT - physical therapy
PWB - partial weight bearing
Px - Problem, prognosis
M
Max – maximal or maximum
MCP - metacarpophalangeal joint
Med - medical
Mg - magnesium
mm. - muscles
MMT – Manual Muscle Test(ing)
MP - metacarpophalangeal
MRI - magnetic resonance imaging
O
O – oral, objective
OA - osteoarthritis
OB/GYN - Obstetrics and Gynecology
O/E - on examination
OR-IF - open reduction, internal fixation
Ortho - Orthopaedic
OTC - over-the-counter
Q
Q or q – every, each
q.d. or QD - every day, once daily
q.h. or Qh - every hour
q2H - every two hours
q4H - every four hours
q.i.d. or QID - four times a day
q.i.w. - four times a week
Qn or q.n. - every night
q.o.d. or QOD - every other day
q.o.n. - every other night
R
R - right
RA - rheumatoid arthritis
RBC - red blood cell
RD – radial deviation
rehab - rehabilitation
RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation
RLE - right lower extremity
RLQ - right lower quadrant
RO, R/O - rule out
ROM - range of motion
RUE - right upper extremity
RUQ - right upper quadrant
Rx - prescription
S
s – without
S - subjective
SB – side bending
SI - sacroiliac joint
SLR - straight leg raising
SOAP - subjective, objective assessment plan
SOB - shortness of breath
STAT - immediately
Sup – superior or supination
Sx - symptoms (or Sx – sign & Sy – symptom)
T
T1-T12 – Thoracic Vertebrae
TE – therapeutic exercise
TENS - transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
TF - tuning fork
t.i.d. or TID - three times a day
t.i.w. or TIW - three times per week
TKE – terminal knee extension
TKR - total knee replacement
TMJ - temporomandibular joint
Tx - treatment
U
UD – ulnar deviation
UE – upper extremity
UGI - upper gastrointestinal tract
ULQ - upper left quadrant
unilat. - unilateral
URI - upper respiratory infection
URQ - upper right quadrant
US - ultrasound
UTI - urinary tract infection
V/W/X/Y
V - vein
VO - verbal order
VOD - vision right eye
VOS - vision left eye
VS - vital signs
WBC - white blood cells
WBT - weight bearing to tolerance
w/n - within
WNL - within normal limits
WP - whirlpool
x - times
y/o or y.o. - years old
Symbols
♀ - Female
♂ - Male
 - Change
- Flexion
∕ - Extension
↑↓ - Increasing/Decreasing