DPT Therapeutic Interventions & Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which manual therapy technique is MOST appropriate to restore posterior capsule extensibility in a patient with adhesive capsulitis?
- Anterior glide of the humeral head
- Inferior glide of the humeral head
- Posterior glide of the humeral head (Correct answer)
- Superior glide of the humeral head
Correct answer: Posterior glide of the humeral head
Posterior glide mobilization of the humeral head directly stretches the posterior capsule, which commonly becomes contracted in adhesive capsulitis.
Question 2: A patient is prescribed aquatic therapy. Which property of water allows a therapist to grade resistance during exercise?
- Hydrostatic pressure
- Buoyancy
- Viscosity and drag (Correct answer)
- Surface tension
Correct answer: Viscosity and drag
Water viscosity creates drag that increases with movement speed, allowing progressive resistance by simply moving faster through the water.
Question 3: Which dry needling target is MOST consistent with treating a myofascial trigger point in the upper trapezius?
- The muscle-tendon junction
- A taut band with a local twitch response (Correct answer)
- The enthesis on the scapular spine
- The supraspinous ligament
Correct answer: A taut band with a local twitch response
Myofascial trigger points are located within taut bands; eliciting a local twitch response confirms accurate needle placement within the trigger point.
Question 4: When using phonophoresis to deliver a topical anti-inflammatory, which ultrasound frequency penetrates most superficially?
- 1 MHz
- 3 MHz (Correct answer)
- 0.75 MHz
- Both 1 and 3 MHz penetrate equally
Correct answer: 3 MHz
3 MHz ultrasound is absorbed more rapidly in superficial tissues (1–2 cm depth), making it ideal for superficial phonophoresis targets.
Question 5: A therapist applies transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain control using high-frequency, low-intensity parameters. This mode primarily activates which pain gate mechanism?
- Endorphin release via descending inhibition
- Segmental inhibition via large-diameter Aβ fibers (Correct answer)
- Direct motor recruitment
- Nociceptor fatigue
Correct answer: Segmental inhibition via large-diameter Aβ fibers
Conventional high-frequency TENS activates large-diameter Aβ mechanoreceptors that inhibit nociceptive transmission in the dorsal horn via gate control theory.
Question 6: Which stage of motor learning is characterized by a large number of errors, high cognitive demand, and the need for frequent external feedback?
- Autonomous stage
- Associative stage
- Cognitive stage (Correct answer)
- Retention stage
Correct answer: Cognitive stage
The cognitive (early) stage of motor learning requires conscious attention and has the highest error rate, requiring frequent feedback to shape the movement pattern.
Question 7: A PTA is performing soft tissue mobilization using instrument-assisted techniques (IASTM). The primary proposed mechanism of benefit is:
- Increasing local blood viscosity
- Stimulating fibroblast proliferation and collagen remodeling (Correct answer)
- Reducing nerve conduction velocity
- Compressing lymphatic capillaries
Correct answer: Stimulating fibroblast proliferation and collagen remodeling
IASTM is proposed to stimulate fibroblast activity, promote collagen remodeling, and break down dysfunctional scar tissue to restore normal tissue mobility.
DPT Therapeutic Interventions & Techniques 3
Which manual therapy technique is MOST appropriate to restore posterior capsule extensibility in a patient with adhesive capsulitis?