CCAT Rehabilitation Techniques & Modalities 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which gait retraining technique involves placing adhesive tape along the dorsal surface of a dog's paw to improve conscious proprioception?
- Kinesio taping for sensory facilitation (Correct answer)
- Theraband resistance training
- Cavaletti pole training
- Functional electrical stimulation
Correct answer: Kinesio taping for sensory facilitation
Kinesio tape applied to the dorsum of the paw provides cutaneous sensory input that increases conscious awareness of limb position and promotes correct foot placement.
Question 2: When using cryotherapy post-exercise in rehabilitation, what is the primary physiological rationale?
- To enhance collagen synthesis in tendons
- To reduce exercise-induced inflammation and manage post-activity soreness (Correct answer)
- To increase nerve conduction velocity
- To promote muscle fiber hypertrophy
Correct answer: To reduce exercise-induced inflammation and manage post-activity soreness
Post-exercise cryotherapy reduces local metabolic rate and inflammatory mediator release, minimizing delayed-onset muscle soreness and swelling after therapeutic exercise.
Question 3: A therapist applies joint distraction to a dog's elbow joint. What is the primary therapeutic goal of this technique?
- To strengthen periarticular muscles
- To reduce intra-articular pressure and improve joint fluid distribution (Correct answer)
- To sever adhesions within the joint capsule
- To stimulate osteophyte resorption
Correct answer: To reduce intra-articular pressure and improve joint fluid distribution
Joint distraction separates articular surfaces, reducing compressive forces, improving synovial fluid distribution, and stimulating mechanoreceptors to inhibit pain.
Question 4: Which parameter distinguishes continuous from pulsed ultrasound in terms of tissue heating?
- Frequency setting
- Duty cycle (percentage of on-time) (Correct answer)
- Transducer head size
- Coupling medium used
Correct answer: Duty cycle (percentage of on-time)
Pulsed ultrasound has a duty cycle less than 100%, reducing thermal effects while maintaining non-thermal effects; continuous ultrasound (100% duty cycle) produces significant heating.
Question 5: A dog with degenerative joint disease of the stifle is prescribed land treadmill exercise. Which feature of this modality primarily benefits joint health?
- Unloading of articular cartilage via impact absorption
- Controlled low-impact repetitive loading that promotes synovial fluid circulation (Correct answer)
- Maximal eccentric muscle loading
- Elimination of proprioceptive input
Correct answer: Controlled low-impact repetitive loading that promotes synovial fluid circulation
Controlled land treadmill exercise provides repetitive, regulated loading that promotes synovial fluid circulation, cartilage nutrition, and periarticular muscle strengthening.
Question 6: When treating a cat with feline interstitial cystitis using rehabilitation, which modality may help manage the associated muscle hyperalgesia and referred pain in the pelvic region?
- High-intensity laser ablation
- Myofascial release and trigger point therapy (Correct answer)
- Aggressive joint manipulation
- Aquatic treadmill at maximum speed
Correct answer: Myofascial release and trigger point therapy
Myofascial release and trigger point therapy address the pelvic floor and epaxial muscle tension and trigger points that contribute to referred pain in feline interstitial cystitis.
Question 7: Which outcome measure assesses functional mobility in dogs by timing how long it takes to rise from a down position, walk 3 meters, turn, and return?
- Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI)
- Timed Up and Go (TUG) test adapted for dogs (Correct answer)
- Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD) scale
- Numerical Rating Scale (NRS)
Correct answer: Timed Up and Go (TUG) test adapted for dogs
The Timed Up and Go test adapted for dogs measures functional mobility by timing a standardized rise-walk-turn-return sequence, reflecting real-world locomotor function.
CCAT Rehabilitation Techniques & Modalities 5
Which gait retraining technique involves placing adhesive tape along the dorsal surface of a dog's paw to improve conscious proprioception?