Physical Agents
CP/HP, Diathermy
What are thermal agents?
These are considered the cardinal signs
What are redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function?
These are free nerve endings responding to pain
What are nociceptors?
Pain of less than 30 days duration
What is acute pain?
This condition is caused by the shortening of soft tissue structures from immobilization, weakness or imbalance of muscles
What is contracture?
Compression wrapping and traction
What is mechanical?
During this stage, macrophages are prevalent
What is the inflammatory phase?
These fibers transmit pain
What are C and A-delta fibers?
They proposed the Gate Control Theory of pain modification
Who are Melzack and Wall?
An excess of fluid in the extracellular space
What is edema?
TENS
What is electromagnetic?
Wound contraction, neovascularization, and collagen formation occur during this phase
What is the proliferative phase?
These transmit sensations of sharp, stabbing pain
What are A-delta fibers?
Pain that is felt in another area away from the primary location of injury
What is referred pain?
A restriction of joint motion due to soft tissue approximation
What is a soft end feel?
Whirlpool
What are thermal and mechanical?
These stages last from 1-6 days and 9 on
What are inflammatory and maturation?
These are small unmyelinated fibers
What are C fibers?
Opiods mimic these biological substances and bind to specific sites to decrease pain
What are endorphins?
Goniometers, inclinometers, and tape measures
What are quantitative measures for ROM?
These are general contraindications and precautions for physical agents
What are pregnancy, pacemaker, malignancy, and impaired sensation and mentation?
Soft tissue trauma, fractures, foreign bodies, bacterial infection, chemical and thermal agents
What are common causes of inflammation?
These transmit non-nociceptive input
What are A-Betas?
2 ways to measure pain
What are the visual analog and numeric rating scales?
A finding of restricted AROM, strong resistance testing, and restricted PROM suggests this is the cause of ROM deficit
What is a noncontractile tissue?