F

Facet joints

The name given to a pair of small joints, present at each level of the spine, which are coupled with an intervertebral disc. They serve to regulate the movements of that disc. They also provide a good deal of stability for the spine.

Familial

Describes a condition or character found in some families and not in others.

Fatigue

Incapacitating mental or physical tiredness.

Feeding tubes

These may be used when patients cannot swallow food or liquids. The commonest type is a nasogastric tube which is a thin flexible plastic tube that is inserted into the nose, down the gullet and into the stomach.This can be left in place for several days or weeks. An alternative where tube feeding is likely to be needed for some time is a Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG tube) which is a thin plastic tube inserted through the abdomen during a minor operation.

Fentination

A tendency to take short, shuffling, rapid steps and to accelerate when walking.

Fluent aphasia

A form of aphasia usually resulting from damage to the back, left side of the brain and characterised by easily articulated, or clearly voiced, language, often with good sentence structure but which may contain some degree of jargon, or nonsense words, or where the person experiences difficulties in finding the right words.
Read more information about aphasia