PWR PWR Moves Fundamentals & Amplitude Training 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the four foundational PWR! Moves used in the PWR! Moves Certification program?
- Rock, Roll, Reach, Rise
- Up, Rock, Twist, Step (Correct answer)
- Extend, Rotate, Shift, Walk
- Flex, Reach, Turn, Step
Correct answer: Up, Rock, Twist, Step
The four PWR! Moves are PWR Up, PWR Rock, PWR Twist, and PWR Step, each targeting critical movement impairments in Parkinson's disease.
Question 2: PWR Up is primarily designed to address which movement challenge commonly seen in Parkinson's disease?
- Resting tremor in the upper extremities
- Loss of anti-gravity extensor activation and stooped posture (Correct answer)
- Freezing of gait during ambulation
- Reduced fine motor coordination of the hands
Correct answer: Loss of anti-gravity extensor activation and stooped posture
PWR Up targets anti-gravity extensor activation to counteract the flexed, stooped posture characteristic of Parkinson's disease.
Question 3: The neuroplasticity principles underlying PWR! Moves require that exercise be which of the following?
- Passive and therapist-guided to ensure correct form
- Slow and controlled to prevent fall risk
- Intense, salient, and repetitive (Correct answer)
- Performed in aquatic environments for joint protection
Correct answer: Intense, salient, and repetitive
PWR! is grounded in evidence that neuroplastic changes require exercise to be intense, salient (meaningful), and highly repetitive.
Question 4: PWR Rock primarily addresses which functional impairment seen in Parkinson's disease?
- Cervical dystonia and neck stiffness
- Weight shifting and trunk mobility deficits (Correct answer)
- Lower extremity weakness from disuse
- Respiratory muscle dysfunction
Correct answer: Weight shifting and trunk mobility deficits
PWR Rock focuses on weight shifting and trunk mobility across multiple planes, which is essential for bed mobility, transfers, and balance.
Question 5: Amplitude training in PWR! requires patients to move in which way?
- Within a comfortable, symptom-free range of motion
- With a focus on movement speed rather than range
- Bigger and with greater effort than feels natural (Correct answer)
- Passively with therapist assistance to achieve full range
Correct answer: Bigger and with greater effort than feels natural
Amplitude training requires exaggerated, effortful 'big' movements to recalibrate the brain's reference for normal movement size.
Question 6: PWR Step is specifically designed to improve which functional activity?
- Rising from a chair independently
- Rolling in bed without assistance
- Overhead reaching and grasping tasks
- Gait initiation, stepping patterns, and weight transfer (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Gait initiation, stepping patterns, and weight transfer
PWR Step directly targets the stepping mechanics, weight transfer to one limb, and gait initiation deficits common in Parkinson's disease.
Question 7: PWR Twist targets which Parkinson's-related impairment?
- Postural hypotension during position changes
- Axial rigidity and reduced rotational mobility of the trunk (Correct answer)
- Lower extremity tremor during weight bearing
- Cognitive processing speed during dual tasks
Correct answer: Axial rigidity and reduced rotational mobility of the trunk
PWR Twist addresses axial rigidity — the loss of trunk rotational mobility that impairs turning, gait arm swing, and bed rolling in Parkinson's.
