Intro 2 Therex
This principle explains why exercise selection should match the patient’s specific functional goal, movement pattern, or activity demand.
SAID principle / specificity.
This phase of healing is generally associated with protection, symptom modulation, and avoiding aggressive loading.
Acute / inflammatory phase.
What is the difference between PROM and AROM?
PROM is motion produced by an external force without patient muscle activation. AROM is motion produced actively by the patient.
Name the three basic muscle actions used to classify resistance exercise.
Isometric, concentric, and eccentric.
Name the three Fitts and Posner stages of motor learning.
Cognitive, associative, and autonomous.
Plyometric exercise uses this cycle involving eccentric loading, a transition phase, and concentric acceleration.
Stretch-shortening cycle.
Name two parts of a complete exercise prescription besides sets and repetitions.
Intensity, rest, frequency, hold time, progression criterion, symptom monitoring, exercise mode, or safety parameters.
What does it generally suggest when pain occurs at or near the tissue resistance barrier rather than before movement begins?
Moderate irritability / yellow-light presentation; controlled progression may be appropriate.
What does “spend the gain” mean after a ROM or stretching intervention?
Use the newly gained motion in an active or functional task immediately after the mobility intervention.
What must the direction of resistance do if the goal is to strengthen a specific motion?
It should oppose the target motion or muscle action.
What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic feedback?
Intrinsic feedback comes from the patient’s own sensory systems. Extrinsic feedback comes from an outside source such as the therapist, technology, or the environment.
In the stretch-shortening cycle, what is the brief transition between eccentric loading and concentric acceleration called?
Amortization phase / transition phase.
A patient understands the goal of an exercise but performs it incorrectly at home. What teaching strategy should the PT use before the patient leaves the clinic?
Return demonstration and/or teach-back.
Three patients have the same ROM limitation, but one is acutely injured, one has chronic stiffness, and one is recovering after immobilization. Why should they not all receive the same intervention?
The same impairment can have different causes, precautions, tissue status, and tolerance.
During a stretching activity, why is stabilization important?
Stabilization prevents compensatory motion and helps bias the intended tissue or joint.
A patient completes 10 technically correct repetitions to fatigue with a given load. What type of information does this provide for exercise prescription?
A submaximal estimate of strength/capacity that can help guide initial resistance dosage.
A patient is learning a new transfer and needs repeated instruction for each step. What type of practice may be useful early in learning?
Blocked practice or part practice may be useful early, depending on task complexity.
During landing drills, what does a quiet, controlled landing generally suggest?
Effective force absorption and movement control.
A patient has been performing the same exercise program for several weeks. Their technique is good, symptoms are stable, and the exercises now feel easy. What principle suggests the program may need to be progressed to continue improving?
Overload principle / progressive overload.
During repair and remodeling, why is appropriately dosed mechanical stress useful?
It supports tissue adaptation and collagen organization/remodeling along lines of stress.
A patient is taught a home stretch but demonstrates poor alignment and cannot explain when to stop. What should the PT do before assigning it?
Re-teach, simplify or modify the position, confirm understanding with teach-back, and establish clear intensity and stop criteria.
A patient performs a strengthening exercise with the intended resistance, but repeatedly substitutes trunk motion and loses control eccentrically. What should the PT modify?
Reduce demand, change position, shorten the lever arm, adjust resistance, slow the task, improve cueing, or regress the activity.
A patient performs well in the clinic only when the therapist gives frequent verbal cues. What should the PT consider to promote independence?
Fade feedback, encourage intrinsic error detection, and gradually reduce reliance on therapist cues.
Which should generally come first in plyometric progression: controlled stick landings or repeated rebound jumps?
Controlled stick landings.
A patient is given an exercise program that is technically appropriate but too complex to perform independently. What clinical issue does this create, and how should the PT respond?
Poor adherence, poor performance, or limited carryover. The PT should simplify the program, clarify instructions, use pictures/video if helpful, and confirm performance with return demonstration.
In the traffic-light model used in class, what clinical reasoning mistake occurs when a “yellow light” patient is treated like a “green light” patient?
The clinician progresses too aggressively for the tissue’s current tolerance, risking symptom exacerbation or return to a more irritable state.
When stretching a muscle that crosses more than one joint, what information should guide positioning?
Identify the joints crossed, the muscle actions, and position the involved joints to lengthen the target tissue while controlling compensations.
When progressing from isolated strengthening toward functional activity, what variables can be adjusted before simply adding more resistance?
Position, ROM, lever arm, tempo, hold time, support, stability, movement plane, kinetic chain, task complexity, or environmental demands.
An athlete performs well in predictable drills but struggles when the task changes unexpectedly. What practice structure may better support transfer?
Variable or random practice with changing conditions.
When progressing plyometrics, name four variables that can be manipulated to increase or decrease task demand.
Height, speed, distance, direction, amplitude, surface, single-leg versus double-leg support, predictability, complexity, volume, or rest.