Clinical Physical Therapy Board Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering cardiovascular, pulmonary, orthopedic, neurological, and research concepts within physical therapy clinical practice.

Sinoatrial (SA) node

Located in the right atrium of the heart, it serves as the pacemaker with a frequency of $70$ to $80$ depolarizations per minute.

Isovolumetric ventricular relaxation

The phase of the cardiac cycle where ventricular volume is at its lowest because all volume has been ejected and the semilunar and AV valves are closed.

Orthopnea

Dyspnea in the recumbent position; a typical symptom of chronic left heart failure.

Verapamil

A calcium antagonist that reduces heart contractility and increases coronary artery dilation, resulting in decreased cardiac workload.

Metabolic Equivalent (MET)

The amount of energy consumed at rest, approximately equivalent to $3.5\text{ ml}$ of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute.

Expiratory reserve volume

The amount of air that can be expired after a resting (normal) expiration.

Inspiratory capacity

The volume of air moved going from normal expiration to full forced inspiration.

Cheyne-Stokes respiration

A breathing pattern characterized by a gradual increase in the rate and depth of respirations followed by periods of absent breathing.

Biot's respiration

Small breaths followed by inconsistent periods of absent breathing.

Residual Volume

The amount of air left in the lungs after a maximum forced expiration; this volume typically increases with age.

Ortho-static hypotension

A sharp drop in blood pressure when getting up quickly or leaving a warm pool, often caused by antihypertensive medications.

Beta blockers

Medications that block beta receptors on the heart to reduce heart rate and contractility; can cause exercise-induced heart rate to be lower than resting heart rate.

Statins

Drugs that lower cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase; potential side effects include muscle pain and rhabdomyolysis.

Iontophoresis

A treatment using direct current to drive ions of medication through the skin; uses the principle of electrostatic repulsion (like charges repel).

Buoyancy

The property of water that pushes up on an immersed part with pressure equal to the weight of the water displaced.

Muscle spindles

Structures located in muscle fibers responsible for the stretch reflex; they cause a muscle to contract when it is stretched too quickly.

Golgi tendon organs

Located in the junction between muscle and tendon, they detect tension changes and cause the muscle to relax if the tendon is stretched too quickly (inverse stretch reflex).

Dental trismus

An inability to open the jaw fully, often caused by muscle spasms or abnormally short jaw muscles.

Sever's apophysitis

A physeal stress injury or traction apophysitis of the gastrocnemius tendon on the calcaneus in children.

Trendelenburg sign

A pelvic drop on the contralateral side during single-limb stance, indicative of gluteus medius weakness on the weight-bearing side.

Homonymous hemianopsia

Visual field loss in the same side of both eyes, occurring when a lesion exists after the optic chiasm.

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

The most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Neurotmesis

A complete rupture of a nerve cord where both the axon and the neural sheath are disrupted, resulting in little chance of useful regeneration.

Neuropraxia

A temporary nerve conduction block with intact axons and no wallerian degeneration, typically associated with complete recovery.

Tardive dyskinesia

A severe, often irreversible movement abnormality that can occur as an adverse reaction to antipsychotic drug therapy.

Erb's palsy

A brachial plexus injury involving the upper roots ($C5$-$C6$), resulting in a 'waiter's tip' arm position (medial rotation, pronation, wrist flexion).

Plagiocephaly

A flattening of the skull (e.g., left frontal and right occipital regions) often resulting from congenital muscular torticollis.

Hill-Sachs lesion

A fracture of the posterior-lateral humerus caused by the smooth surface of the humerus hitting the outer rim of the glenoid fossa during dislocation.

Bioavailability

The fraction of a drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation in an active form to produce the desired effect.

Edinger-Westphal response

Bilateral miosis (pupil constriction) which, in the context of opiate use, suggests drug overdosage.

Schmorl's nodule

A region of lucency seen at the vertebral end plate where a degenerating intervertebral disk penetrates into the bone material.

Agranulocytosis

A deficiency of granulocytes manifesting as a slight fever, sore throat, and mouth ulcerations; requires immediate physician notification.

Veracity

The bioethical principle addressing a healthcare provider's duty to provide honest and truthful information to patients.

Hawthorne effect

A threat to research validity occurs when subjects perform differently than usual because they know they are being studied.

Type II statistical error

The error committed when a researcher incorrectly accepts a null hypothesis when real group differences actually exist.

Specificity

The characteristic of a diagnostic test that indicates its ability to accurately identify true negatives (those who do not have the condition).