MPT Master of Physical Therapy 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient presents with foot drop following a common peroneal nerve injury. Which assistive device is MOST appropriate for initial gait training?
- Knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO)
- Ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) in slight dorsiflexion (Correct answer)
- Rocker-bottom shoe
- Crutches with non-weight-bearing gait
Correct answer: Ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) in slight dorsiflexion
An AFO set in slight dorsiflexion supports the foot during swing phase, preventing toe drag and compensating for absent dorsiflexor activation.
Question 2: Which measure is the GOLD STANDARD for assessing cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2 max) in a PT research study?
- 6-Minute Walk Test
- Bruce Treadmill Protocol with indirect calorimetry
- Maximal graded exercise test with direct gas analysis (Correct answer)
- Step test with heart rate recovery
Correct answer: Maximal graded exercise test with direct gas analysis
Direct measurement of expired gases during maximal graded exercise testing (direct calorimetry) is the gold standard for measuring VO2 max.
Question 3: Which law protects a PT student's academic records from unauthorized disclosure?
- HIPAA
- ADA
- FERPA (Correct answer)
- FMLA
Correct answer: FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects the privacy of student education records, separate from HIPAA which covers health information.
Question 4: A patient with right-sided hemiplegia requires functional training. Which Bobath/NDT principle should guide facilitation?
- Strengthen the unaffected side first to compensate for deficits
- Inhibit abnormal tone and facilitate normal movement patterns (Correct answer)
- Use maximum resistance to rebuild lost motor units
- Focus exclusively on splinting to prevent contractures
Correct answer: Inhibit abnormal tone and facilitate normal movement patterns
Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT/Bobath) centers on inhibiting abnormal tone and reflexes while facilitating normal, coordinated movement patterns on the affected side.
Question 5: During the stance phase of normal gait, the center of mass reaches its HIGHEST vertical position at which point?
- Initial contact
- Mid-stance (Correct answer)
- Terminal stance
- Pre-swing
Correct answer: Mid-stance
The center of mass reaches its highest vertical position during mid-stance when the body vaults over the supporting limb.
Question 6: A therapist performs a special test and gets a sensitivity of 0.90 and specificity of 0.50. Which interpretation is CORRECT?
- The test is good at ruling in disease
- The test is good at ruling out disease (Correct answer)
- The test has high false-positive rate and is not clinically useful
- The test has equal diagnostic value for positive and negative results
Correct answer: The test is good at ruling out disease
High sensitivity (0.90) means few false negatives, so a negative result effectively rules out the condition (SnNout mnemonic).
Question 7: Which intervention is CONTRAINDICATED in a patient with acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the lower extremity?
- Breathing exercises
- Passive ROM of the uninvolved extremity
- Vigorous massage and compression of the affected limb (Correct answer)
- Upper extremity active exercises
Correct answer: Vigorous massage and compression of the affected limb
Vigorous massage and compression of a limb with DVT can dislodge the thrombus, causing pulmonary embolism.
MPT Master of Physical Therapy 4
A patient presents with foot drop following a common peroneal nerve injury.
Which assistive device is MOST appropriate for initial gait training?