Patient Evaluation & Treatment Planning Flashcards
7 cards from real CMT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Evaluation & Treatment Planning flashcards as text
During a cervical spine assessment, a patient reports pain radiating into the ipsilateral arm with neck compression and rotation. Which test would best confirm cervical radiculopathy?
Answer: Spurling's compression test
Spurling's compression test reproduces radicular symptoms by compressing the neural foramina on the affected side via lateral flexion, rotation, and axial compression.
A manual therapist performing a lumbar assessment notes that active trunk flexion is limited and painful but passive extension is full and pain-free. This pattern most likely indicates:
Answer: Muscle guarding with flexion bias
Pain and limitation with active flexion but full pain-free passive extension suggests anterior muscle guarding or flexion-loaded tissue involvement rather than a structural lesion.
When documenting a patient's pain using the SOAP format, information about the patient's occupation and daily activities belongs in which section?
Answer: Subjective
Subjective information includes the patient's self-reported history, symptoms, occupation, and functional activities that are not directly measured by the clinician.
A 45-year-old patient presents with unilateral shoulder pain and limited internal rotation. The posterior capsule is most likely involved if which test is positive?
Answer: Posterior capsule stretch (sleeper stretch) reproduces pain
Pain or tightness reproduced by the sleeper stretch (horizontal adduction with internal rotation) directly implicates posterior capsule restriction.
Which outcome measure is most appropriate for tracking functional disability in patients with non-specific low back pain?
Answer: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)
The Oswestry Disability Index is specifically designed to measure functional disability related to low back pain across ten activity categories.
During gait analysis, a manual therapist observes the patient's pelvis dropping on the swing-phase side. This Trendelenburg sign indicates weakness of which muscle?
Answer: Stance-side hip abductors
A positive Trendelenburg sign indicates weakness of the stance-side gluteus medius, which normally maintains pelvic level during single-leg support.
A patient with suspected thoracic outlet syndrome reports arm symptoms with overhead activity. Which special test assesses vascular compromise by checking for a radial pulse change?
Answer: Adson's maneuver
Adson's maneuver assesses the scalene triangle by having the patient rotate and extend the neck while the examiner monitors the radial pulse for diminishment.