Neuromuscular Disorders
This progressive gait pattern — short, shuffling steps that increase in speed — is classically seen in Parkinson's disease.
What is a festinating gait?
This scale is used clinically to grade the severity of spasticity, using a 0 to 4 rating based on resistance felt through passive movement.
What is the Modified Ashworth Scale?
This life-threatening condition, most common in lesions above T6, is triggered by a noxious stimulus below the level of injury and presents with a pounding headache and spiking blood pressure.
What is autonomic dysreflexia?
This genetic disorder is classically associated with atlantoaxial instability, requiring caution with activities like tumbling or contact sports.
What is Down Syndrome?
This primitive reflex — turning an infant's head to one side causes arm/leg extension on the face side and flexion on the skull side — should integrate by 4 to 6 months of age.
What is Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex? (ATNR)
A sudden, unilateral facial paralysis involving cranial nerve VII, with no other neurological findings, is most consistent with this condition.
What is Bell's palsy?
A patient recovering from a stroke who actively pushes toward their weaker (hemiparetic) side, resisting correction toward midline, is displaying this syndrome.
What is pusher syndrome?
A patient with a C6 spinal cord injury and intact wrist extension can use this trick motion — combining wrist extension with passive finger flexion — to achieve a functional grasp.
What is tenodesis?
This X-linked recessive disorder causes progressive muscle weakness moving from proximal to distal, and is classically identified by a positive Gower's sign.
What is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?
This deep tendon reflex is elicited by tapping the patellar tendon and is mediated primarily by the L3-L4 spinal segments.
What is the patellar reflex?
This progressive neurodegenerative disease is characterized by the classic triad of resting tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia.
What is Parkinson's disease?
This type of abnormal tone presents as constant, 'lead-pipe' resistance to passive movement throughout the entire range, regardless of speed.
What is rigidity?
This spinal cord syndrome typically results from a hyperextension injury and disproportionately affects the upper extremities more than the lower extremities.
What is central cord syndrome?
A child with bilateral lower extremity involvement but no upper extremity involvement is classified using this term.
What is diplegia?
The developmental milestone of sitting independently, without support, typically emerges around this age.
What is 6 months?
This demyelinating autoimmune condition typically presents with ascending, symmetrical flaccid paralysis beginning in the lower extremities
What is Guillain-Barre syndrome?
This lower extremity synergy pattern includes hip flexion, abduction, and external rotation, along with knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion with inversion.
What is LE flexion synergy pattern?
A patient regaining partial voluntary control of bowel or bladder function after a spinal cord injury is demonstrating this favorable prognostic sign.
What is sacral sparing?
For a child with a T10-level spina bifida lesion, this piece of equipment is used to promote lower-extremity weight-bearing and support proper hip joint formation.
What is a standing frame?
The developmental milestone of independent walking is typically achieved by this age range in a typically developing child.
What is 12 to 15 months?
This condition is caused by new degeneration of the same anterior horn cells originally affected by a poliovirus infection, often decades earlier.
What is post-polio syndrome?
A patient with a stroke affecting this hemisphere is more likely to show impulsivity and poor safety awareness, despite intact motor function.
What is the right hemisphere?
An ASIA Impairment Scale grade of this letter indicates an incomplete injury where at least half of the key muscles below the level of injury grade 3/5 or better — giving the patient potential to ambulate.
What is ASIA D?
This genetic condition typically causes hyperphagia and obesity after age 2, along with hypotonia and cognitive impairment.
What is Prader Willi syndrome?
A deep tendon reflex graded at this number on the standard 0 to 4+ scale is considered a normal, expected response.
What is 2+ ?
What is multiple sclerosis?
Damage to this frontal lobe region typically results in expressive (non-fluent) aphasia, where the patient understands language but struggles to produce it.
What is Broca's area?
This type of wheelchair is best suited to a patient with C4 tetraplegia, since it can be operated without functional use of the hands by use of breath.
What is power wheelchair with sip and puff control?
Because of impaired temperature regulation and increased metabolism, pool temperature should generally be kept cooler for patients with this bone fragility disorder.
What is osteogenesis imperfecta?
This primitive reflex — stroking the sole of an infant's foot causes toe extension and fanning — is expected to disappear by 12 to 24 months; its presence afterward (or in an adult) signals upper motor neuron pathology.
What is the Babinski reflex?
This motor neuron disease is unique in this category because it presents with a mix of both upper and lower motor neuron signs at the same time.
What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
In the Brunnstrom stages of motor recovery, this early stage marks the first appearance of spasticity following an initial period of flaccidity.
What is Stage 2?
This spinal cord syndrome primarily damages the dorsal columns, causing significant loss of proprioception and light touch while motor function is relatively preserved.
What is posterior cord syndrome?
This type of spina bifida involves protrusion of both the meninges and spinal cord through an opening in the vertebrae, forming a sac.
What is myelomeningocele?
A hyperactive (4+) deep tendon reflex, accompanied by clonus, is most consistent with damage to this type of neuron pathway.
What is upper motor neuron pathway?