Force, Levers & Physics
Human joints (like the elbow) function exactly like this simple physics machine, which uses a pivot point to move a load.
What is a lever?
Physical therapy increases blood flow to muscles to deliver this vital gas molecule, necessary for cellular respiration and healing.
What is oxygen?
Electrical stimulation (E-STIM) devices used in PT work by mimicking the electrical impulses sent by this organ system.
What is the nervous system?
When a physical therapist measures the rotation of a joint during a stretch, they are calculating this angular physics metric.
What is rotational force (or torque)?
This structural protein is the primary biological building block the body uses to repair torn tendons and muscles.
What is collagen?
This is the microscopic gap between two nerve cells where chemical signals pass to tell a muscle to contract.
What is a synapse?
To prevent a patient from slipping during balance exercises, PTs rely on this physical resistance force between the feet and the floor.
What is friction?
This is the body's natural cellular response to injury that causes heat, swelling, and redness, which PTs try to reduce using ice.
What is inflammation?
Physical therapists help stroke patients retrain this internal system, located in the inner ear, which controls human balance.
What is the vestibular system?
This is the tool used by a PT to measure the exact scientific angle of a joint's range of motion.
What is a goniometer?
When muscles shrink and lose mass due to lack of use during bed rest, they are undergoing this biological process.
What is atrophy?
This is the automatic, involuntary muscular response to a stimulus (like when a PT taps a knee with a rubber mallet).
What is a reflex?