Practical Skills and Problem-Solving Flashcards
7 cards from real PCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Practical Skills and Problem-Solving flashcards as text
A patient with a recent L4-L5 disc herniation reports increased low back and leg pain during the straight leg raise (SLR) at 40°. This finding is most consistent with:
Answer: Nerve root tension or compression
A positive SLR below 60° that reproduces radiating leg pain is a sensitive indicator of lumbar nerve root compression.
When using electrical stimulation for muscle re-education, which waveform parameter primarily determines patient comfort?
Answer: Ramp time
Ramp time gradually increases current intensity, reducing the startle response and improving patient comfort during stimulation onset.
A therapist is treating a patient with right-sided hemiplegia and notices the patient pushes strongly toward the affected side during sitting. This phenomenon is called:
Answer: Pusher syndrome
Pusher syndrome is characterized by active pushing toward the hemiplegic side and resistance to passive correction to vertical.
Which manual therapy technique is classified as a Grade IV joint mobilization?
Answer: Small amplitude movement at end range
Grade IV is defined as a small-amplitude oscillation performed at the end of the available range of motion, per the Maitland grading system.
During treadmill training with a patient post-stroke, the therapist notices the patient's affected knee hyperextends during stance. The best intervention to address this is:
Answer: Strengthen and re-educate the hamstrings and gastrocnemius for eccentric control
Genu recurvatum during stance is often due to poor eccentric control of the hamstrings and calf; strengthening these muscles addresses the root cause.
A physiotherapist is treating a 10-year-old with Osgood-Schlatter disease. The most appropriate initial management is:
Answer: Activity modification, ice, and quadriceps flexibility exercises
Conservative management with relative rest, ice, and quadriceps/hamstring stretching resolves most cases of Osgood-Schlatter disease in adolescents.
When screening for cauda equina syndrome, which cluster of findings warrants immediate emergency referral?
Answer: Saddle anesthesia, bilateral leg weakness, and bladder/bowel dysfunction
Saddle anesthesia combined with bilateral weakness and loss of bowel/bladder control are hallmark red flags for cauda equina syndrome requiring emergency surgery.