CMT CMT Therapeutic Exercise & Rehabilitation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching improves flexibility primarily through:
- Increasing water content in muscle fibers
- Autogenic and reciprocal inhibition to reduce muscle tone before stretching (Correct answer)
- Microtrauma causing adaptive lengthening
- Sustained passive stretch over 10 minutes
Correct answer: Autogenic and reciprocal inhibition to reduce muscle tone before stretching
PNF leverages autogenic inhibition (after isometric contraction) and reciprocal inhibition to reduce muscle tone and allow greater stretch.
Question 2: A CMT designing a stabilization exercise program for lumbar instability would prioritize which muscle group first?
- Superficial erector spinae for gross power
- Global mobilizers like the rectus abdominis
- Deep stabilizers including transversus abdominis and multifidus (Correct answer)
- Hip flexors to reduce lumbar lordosis
Correct answer: Deep stabilizers including transversus abdominis and multifidus
Deep stabilizers — transversus abdominis and multifidus — provide segmental spinal control and should be activated before loading global movers.
Question 3: In rehabilitation, an open kinetic chain (OKC) exercise is characterized by:
- The distal segment being fixed while the proximal segment moves
- The distal segment moving freely in space with no fixed contact (Correct answer)
- Both the proximal and distal segments being fixed
- Resistance applied only through the proximal segment
Correct answer: The distal segment moving freely in space with no fixed contact
In OKC exercises the distal segment (e.g., the foot or hand) moves freely, as in a seated knee extension.
Question 4: What is the SAID principle in rehabilitation?
- Systematic Application of Incremental Dosing
- Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands — tissues adapt specifically to the stresses placed on them (Correct answer)
- Sequential Approach to Injury Diagnosis
- Staged Advancement In Disability management
Correct answer: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands — tissues adapt specifically to the stresses placed on them
SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands) means training must mimic the specific demands the patient will face for optimal functional adaptation.
Question 5: Eccentric muscle contractions are therapeutically important in tendinopathy rehabilitation because they:
- Reduce metabolic demands on the tendon
- Stimulate collagen synthesis and remodeling in the tendon (Correct answer)
- Prevent all further degeneration immediately
- Decrease neural drive to the affected area
Correct answer: Stimulate collagen synthesis and remodeling in the tendon
Eccentric loading stimulates collagen production and restructuring in tendons, making it a cornerstone of tendinopathy rehabilitation.
Question 6: Progressive overload in a rehabilitation program means:
- Applying maximum resistance from the first session
- Gradually increasing exercise demands as the patient adapts to each level (Correct answer)
- Overloading the patient to cause beneficial microtrauma immediately
- Progressing to the next phase only after full resolution of all symptoms
Correct answer: Gradually increasing exercise demands as the patient adapts to each level
Progressive overload systematically increases training stimulus as the patient adapts, ensuring continued improvement without re-injury.
CMT CMT Therapeutic Exercise & Rehabilitation 1
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching improves flexibility primarily through: