Misc.
During treatment in an outpatient gym, a patient becomes angry and violent and begins throwing things at the wall. What is the best way to de-escalate or handle the situation?
Maintain distance and remove any other patients in the area without turning their back to the patient. Call for help.
A physical therapist assistant administers the capillary refill test. What is the PTA looking for, and what would be an abnormal result?
The amount of time taken for color to return to the nail. A refill time of 3 seconds or more is considered abnormal and could indicate inadequate peripheral perfusion
A physical therapist assistant’s is working with a patient who has been fit with an elastic shrinker for the residual limb. How long should the patient be instructed to wear the shrinker?
23 hours a day (all the time except when bathing)
A patient is recovering from a full-thickness burn to the elbow. What is the common contracture from this type of burn?
Flexion and pronation
You are treating a patient that presents with the inability to lift the skin on the dorsum of their hand. Which diagnosis could this be consistent with? (and which stage?)
Lymphedema
Stage 2: spontaneously irreversible
A patient spilled hot oil onto the dorsum of his feet. What position should he be placed in while resting in supine or sitting?
in Plantarflexion
Exercise is not always possible for most people when the hemoglobin level is ___ g/dL or less.
8 g/dL
What are the common contractures for a transfemoral amputation?
Hip ABDuction
Hip flexion
Hip external rotation
A patient is recovering from a full-thickness burn to the anterior shoulder/ chest, and axillary area. Range-of-motion activities should focus on which shoulder motions?
Flexion, abduction, and external rotation
Patient's with these comorbidities should be cleared by their medical doctor before proceeding with treatment for lymphedema ( name at least 2):
What type of exercise should be avoided when treating a patient with osteomalacia?
high-impact exercise
(Do not get high repetitions and high-intensity, high impact confused)
A patient being treated in an acute care hospital reports excessive thirst on multiple occasions during a treatment session. What electrolyte imbalance would MOST likely be associated with this scenario?
Hypernatremia
A PTA observes the gait pattern for a patient with a transtibial amputation and prosthesis. The PTA observes excessive knee flexion in stance. What are possible amputee causes of this gait deviation?
Knee flexion contracture
Hip flexion contracture
Pain anteriorly in residual limb
Decrease in quadriceps strength
Poor balance
A patient presents with a deep and tunneling wound with high amounts of exudate. What is the best type of dressing material to use for this patient?
Alginate ( in rope form, to pack the wound)
Short stretch bandage: Low resting and high working pressures.
worn for: 23-24 hours a day ( removed for bathing, and changing of garments)
A physical therapist assistant treats a patient with hyperthyroidism. What should be monitored and why?
Assc. with exercise intolerance and reduced exercise capacity
HR: can remain elevated for an extended period of time
Fatigue/exertion: RPE
Exercise and exercise-testing are contraindicated when a patient with Diabetes Mellitus Type I blood glucose level exceeds ___ mg/dL.
300 mg/dL:
(per pg. 238 of Goodman Pathology Text): "Anyone with blood glucose levels at or near 300mg/dL should not exercise because vigorous activity also can raise the blood glucose level by releasing stored glycogen"
This type of therapy has shown to be effective with treating phantom limb pain, and has no side effects
Desensitization techniques
A patient sustained a superficial wound that appears as a moderate abrasion on the anterior surface of their thigh approximately four inches above the superior pole of the patella. Which type of wound dressing would MOST likely be utilized?
Transparent film
(Protect, but no absorption needed)
Describe some of the key components for MLD to be successful in reducing lymphedema
Treat proximal areas before distal areas
Stroke from distal to proximal
Treat all areas of a limb, not just front or just back side
Shallow strokes with little to no lubrication so that skin is pulled with strokes
A physical therapist assistant treats a patient three days post shoulder surgery. The patient reports general malaise, slight confusion and a slightly elevated body temperature during the last 24 hours. The assistant notes that the patient’s shoulder is edematous, warm to touch, and observes a small amount of yellow fluid seeping from the incision. What is the MOST appropriate action for the assistant to take?
Send the patient to the emergency room due to signs of infection/sepsis
A physical therapist assistant reviews the medical record of a patient who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The medical record indicates that the patient’s current condition is consistent with chronic respiratory acidosis. What test/lab value is looked at to confirm this?
Arterial Blood gases
pH < 7.35
A PTA observes the gait pattern for a patient with a transtibial amputation and prosthesis. The PTA observes excessive lateral bending towards the prosthesis. What are possible prosthetic causes of this gait deviation?
Prosthesis too short
Improperly shaped lateral wall
High medial wall
Prosthesis aligned in abduction
A physical therapist assistant prepares to complete a sensory assessment on a patient with a lower extremity burn. Which of the following findings would serve as the BEST predictor of altered sensation: The presence of a skin graft, the depth of burn injury, the percentage of body surface affected, or the extent of hypertrophic scarring?
Depth of burn injury
A patient with stage 2 lymphedema presents with more than a 40% difference in their Right lower limb compared to their Left. How would you classify this? and what grade of compression garment would be recommended for this patient?
Severe lymphedema
40-50 mmHg compression garments.