NPTE-PT Review 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A physical therapist is treating a patient with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Which intervention has the strongest evidence for reducing allodynia and restoring function?
- Aggressive joint mobilization
- Graded motor imagery and mirror therapy (Correct answer)
- Ice application and compression
- Electrical muscle stimulation
Correct answer: Graded motor imagery and mirror therapy
Graded motor imagery (GMI) and mirror therapy target cortical reorganization and have the strongest evidence for reducing pain and improving function in CRPS.
Question 2: Which ASIA Impairment Scale classification describes a patient with motor and sensory function preserved below the neurological level of injury, with more than half of key muscles below the level having a grade less than 3?
- ASIA A
- ASIA B
- ASIA C (Correct answer)
- ASIA D
Correct answer: ASIA C
ASIA C indicates motor-incomplete injury where motor function is preserved below the neurological level, but more than half of key muscle functions below the level have a muscle grade less than 3.
Question 3: A patient with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) would most benefit from strengthening which muscle group based on current evidence?
- Quadriceps only
- Hip abductors and external rotators (Correct answer)
- Hamstrings
- Plantar flexors
Correct answer: Hip abductors and external rotators
Strengthening hip abductors and external rotators reduces dynamic valgus and patellofemoral joint stress, and has strong evidence for improving outcomes in PFPS.
Question 4: During lumbar spine assessment, a positive FABER (Patrick's) test suggests pathology in which structure?
- Lumbar disc
- Sacroiliac joint or hip joint (Correct answer)
- Piriformis muscle
- Lumbar facet joint
Correct answer: Sacroiliac joint or hip joint
The FABER test stresses both the sacroiliac joint and the hip joint; a positive test (groin or posterior pain) implicates pathology in either structure.
Question 5: Which type of contracture results from prolonged immobilization and involves shortening of the musculotendinous unit without bony changes?
- Myostatic contracture (Correct answer)
- Fibrotic contracture
- Pseudomyostatic contracture
- Arthrogenic contracture
Correct answer: Myostatic contracture
Myostatic contracture occurs when a muscle is immobilized in a shortened position, reducing the number of sarcomeres in series; it responds well to stretching.
Question 6: When applying electrical stimulation for muscle re-education, which parameter most directly affects the depth of current penetration?
- Pulse duration
- Frequency
- Electrode size and placement (Correct answer)
- Waveform shape
Correct answer: Electrode size and placement
Electrode size and placement most directly influence current density and depth; smaller electrodes concentrate current superficially while larger electrodes allow deeper penetration.
Question 7: A therapist documents that a patient has 'active insufficiency' of the rectus femoris. In which position would this be most evident?
- Hip flexion with knee extended
- Hip extension with knee extended
- Hip flexion with knee flexed (Correct answer)
- Hip extension with knee flexed
Correct answer: Hip flexion with knee flexed
Active insufficiency of the rectus femoris occurs when the hip is flexed AND the knee is flexed simultaneously, as the two-joint muscle cannot generate adequate tension at both ends at once.
NPTE-PT Review 5
A physical therapist is treating a patient with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).
Which intervention has the strongest evidence for reducing allodynia and restoring function?