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 therapist is designing a home exercise program for a patient with Parkinson's disease. Which principle is most supported by evidence for improving motor function?
Answer: High-amplitude, high-effort movement training (LSVT BIG)
LSVT BIG, an amplitude-focused exercise program, has strong evidence for improving motor function and daily activities in Parkinson's disease.
During a shoulder assessment, a positive Neer's sign and positive Hawkins-Kennedy test both reproduce anterior shoulder pain. These findings are most consistent with:
Answer: Subacromial impingement syndrome
Both Neer's and Hawkins-Kennedy tests provoke the supraspinatus tendon under the acromion, making subacromial impingement the most likely diagnosis.
A patient with a T6 complete SCI develops sudden severe hypertension (BP 210/130), pounding headache, and profuse sweating. The therapist's immediate action is:
Answer: Sit the patient upright, identify and remove the noxious stimulus, and monitor BP
Autonomic dysreflexia is a life-threatening emergency managed by sitting the patient upright to lower BP and urgently identifying/removing the triggering stimulus.
The timed 'Up and Go' (TUG) test measures the time for a patient to:
Answer: Rise from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn, return, and sit down
The TUG test involves rising from a standard chair, walking 3 meters, turning around, walking back, and sitting down—assessing functional mobility and fall risk.
When progressing therapeutic exercise for a patient with osteoporosis, the therapist should emphasize:
Answer: Weight-bearing and resistance exercises while avoiding trunk flexion loading
Weight-bearing and resistance exercises stimulate bone remodeling, while trunk flexion exercises increase vertebral fracture risk in osteoporosis.
A physiotherapist notices a patient's plan of care has not been updated for 45 days despite no documented reassessment. According to professional standards, the therapist should:
Answer: Perform a formal reassessment and update the goals and plan of care
Professional and regulatory standards require regular reassessment and plan-of-care updates to ensure treatment remains appropriate and goals are current.
A patient reports numbness and tingling in the thumb, index, and middle finger, worse at night and with sustained gripping. Phalen's test is positive at 45 seconds. The most likely diagnosis is:
Answer: Carpal tunnel syndrome
The median nerve distribution (digits 1-3), nocturnal symptoms, and positive Phalen's test are classic presentations of carpal tunnel syndrome.