25 Important Medical Terms You Need to Know

Have you ever been watching a live sporting event when an athlete suddenly left the game due to injury? Of course you have. The media coverage goes to commercial and at the first glance of a medical update, the sports broadcaster is back on live TV saying something about a “contusion” or “abrasion.”

One of two things usually happens from there. One, you may think it’s ridiculous that the media referred to a bruise as a contusion, or a scrape as an abrasion. Two, this may actually pique a desire in you to learn some medical vocabulary. For most of us, it’s probably the first.

It's helpful to know commonly used medical terms, so we've compiled a list of 25 that will surely get you through a live sports broadcast, and help you out next time you’re at the doctor’s office.

Top 25 medical terms to know

1. Benign: Not cancerous
2. Malignant: Cancerous
3. Anti-inflammatory: Reduces swelling, pain, and soreness (such as ibuprofen or naproxen)
4. Body Mass Index (BMI): Body fat measurement based on height and weight
5. Biopsy: A tissue sample for testing purposes
6. Hypotension: Low blood pressure
7. Hypertension: High blood pressure
8. Lesion: Wound, sore, or cut
9. Noninvasive: Doesn’t require entering the body with instruments; usually simple
10. Outpatient: Check in and check out the same day
11. Inpatient: Plan to stay overnight for one or more days
12. In remission: Disease is not getting worse; not to be confused with being cured
13. Membrane: Thin layer of pliable tissue that serves as a covering or lining or connection between two structures
14. Acute: Sudden but usually short (e.g., acute illness)
15. Angina: Pain in the chest related to the heart that comes and goes
16. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Heartburn
17. Cellulitis: Inflamed or infected tissue beneath the skin
18. Epidermis: Outermost layer of skin
19. Neutrophils: Most common type of white blood cell
20. Edema: Swelling
21. Embolism: Blood clot
22. Sutures: Stitches
23. Polyp: Mass or growth of thin tissue
24. Compound fracture: Broken bone that protrudes through the skin
25. Comminuted fracture: Broken bone that shatters into many pieces

Next time you hear one of these terms—whether on TV, in a medical environment, or elsewhere—you won’t miss a beat. Just beware, you may be asked to translate for others.