Tai-chi exercise This is an undemanding but effective type of exercise for older people aimed at improving movement coordination, increasing functional capacity and global well-being. It also helps prevent traumas, especially falls, because it leads to awareness of the body and its parts, as well as positions in which the body is situated.

Taping The use of special adhesive tapes in order to fix supportive the fibro-tendinous apparatus of joints. It is used particularly in sports medicine in cases of swelling, joint subluxation, tendinitis and tenosynovitis. Its application is short term only, e.g. before overloading the joint or during various phases of rehabilitation, after trauma or operations in the area of the locomotor system. Taping requires an appropriate application technique in order to produce beneficial outcomes and avoid problems (callosities, pustules, defects of circulation). The main areas of application include the tibial area and the fingers. Taping in rheumatology is also applied in knee pain when the patella is shifted medially by the use of tape, which leads to significant pain relief.

Tarsal tunnel syndromes

Anterior tarsal syndrome

Medial tarsal syndrome

Tendinopathy (tendonosis, tendoperiostosis, enthesopathy) A progressive degenerative change within the tendon insertions with gradual deposition of calcium. Causes include trauma, microtrauma and overloading. Genetic and metabolic factors also play an important role in their development. They can be diagnosed from the medical history and palpation and movement of the affected muscle against resistance. Spontaneous pain is not usually present. Tendinopathies can also affect the spinous and lateral processes of vertebrae.

Tendomyosis A frequent form of extra-articular rheumatism. Myalgia and pain of muscle and/or tendon insertions, which are worsened by various physical and psychological factors, such as changes in the weather, cold, fear, depression, etc. are typical symptoms. Painful muscles show increased tone and areas of abnormal hardening of tissues – so-called myogelosis – can be present. The causes include overloading and incorrect loading of the muscles during work and sporting activities, incorrect posture, incorrect movement habits, postural defects and others.

Tensilon test – see Myasthenia gravis.

Teriparatide – see Parathormone – Teriparatide.

Terraband (dynamoband) Terraband (rubber strap) is used to perform exercises, the difficulty of which can be adjusted by the elasticity and tonicity of the rubber strap. It is also used in patients with rheumatic diseases to exercise the long muscles of the extremities. Independent exercises at home after providing the patient with instructions is an advantage of this method.

Testosterone Does not have the same causal relation to osteoporosis in men as oestrogens have in women. In men, ageing is associated with changes in the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis with a consequent significant decrease in total as well as free testosterone. Testosterone has a direct stimulatory influence on the production and activity of the osteoblasts, shown by the finding of androgen receptors on their surface. Also, androgens act via growth factors. Testosterone deficiency reduces the secretion of calcitonin and synthesis of calcitriol. Testosterone deficiency is one of the more common causes of osteoporosis in men. The administration of testosterone derivatives increases bone mineral density and reduces the risk of fractures.

Teufel’s bandage A support to correct posture, which is used in Scheuermann’s disease and cases of increased curvature of the vertebral column in the sagittal plane due to habitual incorrect posture, e.g. at work.

TGF (transforming growth factor) Two TGFs are well identified, TGF-α and TGF-β, though they are not related to each other structurally or genetically and act through different receptors. TGF-α is a small polypeptide growth factor, which affects cell division and wound healing and stimulates angiogenesis, and is upregulated in some forms of human cancer. TGF-β exists in three subtypes, TGF-β1, TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 and is more common than TGF-α. The main feature of TGF-β is its involvement in the regulation of transformation of normal cells into malignant cells, regulation of embryonic development, wound healing, inflammatory and other immune responses and is involved in cell apoptosis.

Thalassaemias – see Haemoglobinopathies and involvement of the locomotor organs.

Thermal therapy The delivery of heat to the body for medical purposes. It can be referred to as positive (systemic application with warm bath, mud, sauna or local application with wax, infrared radiation, diathermy, ultrasound) or negative (referred to as cryotherapy using special bags, ice, cold air or gas) thermal therapy. Systemic cryotherapy is administered in special chambers at a temperature of −180 °C.

Thermographic index (TI) A frequently used index in rheumatology used for quantitative evaluation of thermal changes in the region of interest (ROI). It is described as the increase in the basal temperature over the monitored area and the temperature of isotherm multiplied by the surface of isotherm to total surface of ROI. The final TI is achieved by the sum of TI of particular isotherms. The normal TI value is 2, osteoarthrosis is 4 and rheumatoid arthritis is >4; with acute gout giving the highest TI. TI is relevant for evaluating the efficiency of pharmacotherapy.

Thermography (TMG) A complementary imaging method by which the distribution of heat on the surface of subjects, including the human body, is detected. The principle is visualisation of infrared radiation with a thermographic camera. Two methods are used: Contact TMG (liquid crystal encapsulated in foil) and noncontact (thermovision systems). In rheumatology, it is used to detect local hyperthermia (induced by inflammation mediators), local hypothermia caused by nociceptive afferentation and hypothermia due to vasospasm or obstruction of vessels. A relevant thermal picture can be obtained only if strict standard conditions are adhered to. Thermography can also be utilised to evaluate thermal changes due to pharmacotherapy (temperature over affected joints) and physical medicine (local changes of micro- and macrocirculation). It is used in rheumatology, neurology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, gynaecology and reflexive therapy.

Thoracic outlet syndrome A compression syndrome due to compression of the neurovascular bundle as it passes from the thoracocervical region into the axilla. It can be caused by muscle hypertrophy, increased tonus of the scalene muscles, weakness of the longissimus cervicis muscle and longus colli muscle or by bone or other fibrous surrounding structural abnormalities. The syndrome manifestation includes various sensory, motor or vasomotor symptoms suggesting cervicobrachial syndrome.

Thymulin A zinc-dependent peptide hormone (previously known as serum thymic factor) produced in the thymus from where it is released into the circulation. It increases the activity of certain T lymphocytes subpopulations (particularly suppressor and cytotoxic activities). Thymulin is able to renew the responsiveness of lymphocytes to mitogens in animals after thymectomy.

Thymus The endocrine gland producing thymosins, thymopoetins, thymulin and other immunohormones. It is the primary lymphatic organ where maturation and differentiation of T lymphocytes, which are able to detect antigens, occurs. Concurrently, elimination of the majority of autoreactive clones of T lymphocytes, which is one of the most important mechanisms of tolerance to autoantigens development, also occurs in the thymus. The thymus consists of a cortex and medulla. The cortex, which represents approximately 85 % of gland weight, consists of thymocytes, epithelial cells and macrophages. The medulla comprises mainly of thymocytes. The gland reaches its maximum in adolescence (30–40 g) and decreases in size thereafter.

Thyroid disease – see Arthropathy in thyroid disease.

Tinel’s sign Palpation applied to the palmar aspect of the wrist (transverse carpal ligament) evokes pain or paraesthesiae of the first three fingers. It is positive in carpal tunnel syndrome.

T lymphocytes Lymphocytes are a subset of white blood cells, which after development from pluripotent haemopoietic stem cells in bone marrow, acquires immunocompetence within the thymus gland, i.e. typical morphological and functional properties. They are also referred to as T cells. The presence of specific antigen receptors, which are in the complex with differentiating determinant (antigen) CD3 molecule, is a fundamental feature of T lymphocytes.