OTA Physical Rehabilitation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An OTA is working with a patient who has a rotator cuff repair. Which activity is MOST appropriate during the early acute phase of rehabilitation?
- Active shoulder abduction to 90°
- Passive range of motion within surgeon-prescribed limits (Correct answer)
- Resistive shoulder exercises with Thera-Band
- Overhead reaching for light objects
Correct answer: Passive range of motion within surgeon-prescribed limits
After rotator cuff repair, early rehabilitation focuses on passive range of motion within the surgeon's prescribed precautions to protect the healing tissue.
Question 2: A patient with a below-knee amputation is being fitted for a prosthesis. What is the PRIMARY goal of residual limb shaping?
- Prevent phantom limb pain
- Reduce edema and shape the limb into a cylindrical form (Correct answer)
- Improve proprioception
- Increase muscle strength
Correct answer: Reduce edema and shape the limb into a cylindrical form
Residual limb shaping reduces post-amputation edema and creates a cylindrical shape to allow proper prosthetic socket fit.
Question 3: When applying a hot pack to a patient's shoulder, the OTA should check the skin after how many minutes?
- 1 minute
- 3–5 minutes (Correct answer)
- 10 minutes
- 15 minutes
Correct answer: 3–5 minutes
The OTA should check the skin after 3–5 minutes of hot pack application to monitor for adverse reactions such as burns or excessive redness.
Question 4: An OTA is treating a patient with incomplete cervical SCI at C6. Which functional goal is MOST realistic for this patient?
- Independent ambulation without assistive devices
- Independent manual wheelchair propulsion with wrist-driven splints (Correct answer)
- Full fine motor hand function
- Independent transfers without equipment
Correct answer: Independent manual wheelchair propulsion with wrist-driven splints
A person with C6 SCI typically has wrist extension but lacks finger function, making manual wheelchair propulsion with wrist-driven splints a realistic functional goal.
Question 5: During gait training with a walker, the OTA notices the patient's trunk leans excessively forward. This compensation MOST likely indicates:
- Hip flexor tightness (Correct answer)
- Ankle plantar flexion contracture
- Weak core musculature
- Excessive hip extension strength
Correct answer: Hip flexor tightness
Excessive forward trunk lean during gait with a walker most commonly indicates hip flexor tightness that shifts the center of mass anteriorly.
Question 6: A patient with rheumatoid arthritis is performing ADL training. Which joint protection principle should the OTA emphasize?
- Use the smallest joint available for tasks
- Avoid resting painful joints
- Distribute load over larger joints and more joints (Correct answer)
- Perform all activities at maximum speed to minimize joint stress time
Correct answer: Distribute load over larger joints and more joints
Joint protection principles for rheumatoid arthritis include distributing load over larger and more joints to reduce stress on individual affected joints.
Question 7: Which transfer technique is MOST appropriate for a patient with left-sided hemiplegia who has minimal weight-bearing ability on the left?
- Pivot transfer leading with the right side toward the destination (Correct answer)
- Dependent lift transfer with two caregivers
- Sliding board transfer toward the unaffected right side
- Stand-pivot transfer leading with the left side
Correct answer: Pivot transfer leading with the right side toward the destination
For left hemiplegia, positioning the destination surface to the patient's right (stronger) side allows the stronger limb to bear weight and lead the pivot transfer.
OTA Physical Rehabilitation 2
An OTA is working with a patient who has a rotator cuff repair.
Which activity is MOST appropriate during the early acute phase of rehabilitation?