Therapeutic Exercise & Manual Therapy – Vocabulary Review

Range of Motion (ROM)

Extent of movement possible at a joint or series of joints.

Joint ROM (Arthrokinematics)

Movement occurring between articular surfaces of a joint.

Muscle ROM (Functional Excursion)

Total distance a muscle can shorten from its longest to shortest length.

Active Insufficiency

Position in which a muscle cannot generate full force because it is maximally shortened.

Passive Insufficiency

Position in which a muscle cannot stretch further, having reached its longest length.

Active Range of Motion (AROM)

Movement within unrestricted ROM produced by patient’s own muscle contraction.

Passive Range of Motion (PROM)

Movement within unrestricted ROM produced entirely by an external force.

Active-Assisted ROM (AAROM)

Movement in which external force assists weak muscles (about 2/5 MMT) through ROM.

Self-Assisted ROM

Patient-produced ROM using devices (e.g., pulley, wand, finger ladder) when strong contractions are contraindicated.

Continuous Passive Motion (CPM)

Mechanical device providing uninterrupted PROM, initial arc 30–45°, 1 cycle 45 s–2 min.

Cardinal Planes

Sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes used to describe joint motion directions.

Stretching

Any maneuver designed to increase soft-tissue extensibility and lengthen shortened structures.

Ballistic Stretching

High-velocity, short-duration stretch; most painful and least commonly used.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) Stretching

Stretching methods using muscle contractions to enhance flexibility (e.g., hold-relax).

Autogenic Inhibition

Relaxation of a muscle after it contracts, mediated by the Golgi Tendon Organ.

Reciprocal Inhibition

Reflex relaxation of antagonist muscle during contraction of the agonist.

Hold-Relax Technique

Isometric contraction of tight (antagonist) muscle followed by passive stretch; uses autogenic inhibition.

Contract-Relax Technique

Concentric contraction of tight muscle followed by passive stretch; employs autogenic inhibition.

Agonist Contraction (Active Stretch)

Patient actively moves the limb further into range, relying on reciprocal inhibition of the tight muscle.

Contracture

Adaptive shortening of soft tissues limiting ROM.

Myostatic (Myogenic) Contracture

Muscle tightness without pathology; usually resolves with stretching.

Pseudomyostatic Contracture

Limited ROM from spasticity or muscle guarding.

Arthrogenic Contracture

Restriction caused by intra-articular pathology such as adhesions, cartilage or capsule changes.

Fibrotic Contracture

Irreversible loss of extensibility due to fibrous changes; often needs surgery.

Static Stretching

Moderate tension stretch held for prolonged time (≈20 min) to promote relaxation.

Static Progressive Stretching

Sequential prolonged stretches, each applied after tissue relaxation to gain further length.

Cyclic (Intermittent) Stretching

Multiple short-duration stretches; minimum effective single stretch time ≈2 min.

Joint Mobilization (PJM)

Skilled passive movement of joint surfaces to restore motion or relieve pain.

Rolling (Joint Motion)

New points on one surface meet new points on another; produces angular motion.

Sliding (Gliding)

Same point on one surface contacts new points on the opposite surface.

Spinning (Joint Motion)

Rotation of a bone around a stationary mechanical axis.

Convex-Concave Rule

Convex surface moves opposite, concave surface moves same direction as bone lever during glide.

Compression

Decrease in joint space produced by external load or muscle contraction.

Traction

Longitudinal pull applied to separate joint surfaces along the bone's axis.

Distraction

Perpendicular separation of joint surfaces; occurs before traction effects.

Ovoid Joint

Egg-shaped joint surfaces permitting rolling and sliding (e.g., humeral head).

Saddle (Sellar) Joint

Each surface concave in one direction and convex in the other (e.g., 1st CMC).

Grades of Oscillation (I–V)

Maitland mobilization amplitudes: I & II for pain, III & IV for stretch, V is high-velocity thrust.

Grades of Sustained Translation (I–III)

Kaltenborn traction grades: I (loosen), II (take up slack), III (stretch).

Repetition Maximum (RM)

Greatest load that can be lifted for a specified number of repetitions.

Delorme Technique

Progressive resistance program: 50%, 75%, 100