PTA 160

PTA 160 2026 Unit 1 exam

1.        Ways to assess pain

  • Numeric rating scale

  • Face scale

  • Visual analog scale


2.        Acute vs chronic pain and acute vs chronic illness

-              Acute illness: an illness or disease that has a relatively rapid onset and short duration

-              Chronic illness: includes one or more of the following characteristics of permanent impairment or disability, residual physical or cognitive disability, and the need for special rehab and/or long term medical management

-              Acute pain: a sudden, short term warning signal from the body that typically heals within three months.

-            Chronic pain: ongoing discomfort lasting longer than three to six months that often persists after an injury has healed.


3.        Terms: incidence, prevalence, health and illness, infection, colonization of organism, infection disease, incubation period, period of communicability

a.        Incidence: the number of new cases of a condition in a specific period of time.

b.        Prevalence: measures all cases of a condition.

c.        Health: a state of complete physical, mental, or social well-being and not merely as the absence of disease or infirmity.

d.        Illness: sickness or deviation from a healthy state.

e.        Infection: a process in which an organism establishes a parasitic relationship with its host.

f.           Colonization of organism: microorganisms may be present in the tissues of the host yet not cause symptomatic disease.

g.         Infection disease: the development of a clinically apparent infection in which the host-parasite interaction causes obvious injury and is accompanied by one or more clinical symptoms.

h.        Incubation period: the period between the pathogen entering the host and the appearance of clinical symptoms.

i.            Period of communicability: the stage when an organism can be shed.

4.        Symptoms associated with psychologic conditions.

  • Impairment of memory

  • Personality changes (paranoia)

  • Loss of impulse control

  • Mood disorders (persistent depression or elation)

5.        ICF terminology: body functions/structures, impairments, activity limitations, participation restrictions

a.        Body functions/Structures: physiologic or psychologic functions of body systems or body systems or anatomical parts.

b.        Impairments: problems in body function or structure.

c.        Activity: execution of specific tasks or actions by an individual.

d.        Limitations: the difficulties that an individual might have in executing activities.

e.        Participation restriction: problems the individual might have in real-life situations.

6.        Benefits of exercise

a.        Increased cardiovascular functional capacity, decreased myocardial oxygen demand

b.        Reduced mortality in people with coronary artery disease

c.        Favorable change in metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, including an increase in level of high-density lipoproteins

d.        Improved hemodynamic, hormonal, metabolic, neurological, and respiratory function

e.        Improved immune function (stressful or excessive exercise can have the opposite effect)

f.           Facilitation of biorhythms and thermoregulation; prevention of insomnia

g.         Favorable effect on fibrinogen levels in older men

h.        Increased sensitivity to insulin

i.            Increased bone density; prevention of osteoporosis

j.            Greater strength and flexibility; maintenance of muscle mass

k.         Improved postural stability; reduction in falls

l.           Improved psychologic functioning, self-confidence, and self-esteem

m.    Reduction in some type A behaviors

7.        Systemic effects of acute and chronic inflammation

a.        Acute inflammation: fever, tachycardia, and a hypermetabolic state. These effects produce characteristic changes in the blood, such as elevated serum protein levels.

b.        Chronic inflammation: low-grade fever, malaise, weight loss, anemia, fatigue, leukocytosis, and lymphocytosis. Inflammation is reflected by an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

8.        Symptoms of infection

a.        Integumentary system:

  i.         Purulent drainage from abscess, open wound, or skin lesion; skin rash, red streaks; bleeding from gums or into joints, joint effusion or erythema.

b.        Cardiovascular system:

  i.         Petechial lesions; tachycardia; hypotension; change in pulse rate.

c.        Central nervous system:

  i.         Altered level of consciousness, confusion, seizures; headache; photophobia; memory loss; stiff neck, myalgia.

d.        Gastrointestinal system:

  i.         Nausea; vomiting; diarrhea.

e.        Genitourinary system:

  i.         Dysuria or flank pain; hematuria; oliguria; urgency, frequency.

f.           Upper respiratory system:

  i.         Tachypnea; cough; dyspnea; hoarseness; sore throat; nasal drainage; sputum production; oxygen desaturation; decreased exercise tolerance; prolonged ventilatory support.

g.         In the older adult:

 i.         Change in mental status; subnormal body temperature; bradycardia or tachycardia; fatigue; lethargy; decreased appetite.

9.        Systemic factors that influence healing

a.        Physiologic variables

b.        General health of the individual; immunocompetency; psychologic, emotional, and spiritual well-being

c.        Presence of comorbidities, for example: diabetes mellitus, decreased oxygen perfusion, hematologic disorders, cancer, incontinence, Alzheimer’s disease, neurologic impairment, immobility

d.        Tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, and other substance use or abuse

e.        Nutrition

f.           Local or systemic infection; presence of foreign bodies

g.         Type of tissue

h.        Medical treatment

10.  Drug toxicity symptoms

11.  NSAID adverse symptoms        


12.  Ischemic, thrombus, sepsis, septic shock

  1. Ischemic- occur when the blood flow is insufficient to maintain cell homeostasis metabolic function

  1.  Lack of blood flow

  2. Insufficient blood flow results in a critical reduction in oxygen delivery to the tissue that is partial (hypoxia) or total (anoxia), decreased delivery of nutrients, and decrease removal of waste products from the tissue

  1. Thrombus- ischemia is usually a result of the arterial lumen obstruction and narrowing caused by arthrosclerosis and/or intravascular clot

  2. Sepsis- when microorganisms or their toxins are present in the blood thus throughout the entire body

  3. Septic shock- cardiovascular collapse may enuse and lead to a condition


13.  Psychologic process of dealing with illness/disability.

Shock: a state of numbness, both physical and emotional. The “I can’t believe this is happening” period

Denial: denial is a defense mechanism that may allow the implication of an injury to be gradually introduced

-              Denial is only maladaptive when it interferes with treatment or rehabilitation efforts.

-              Denial is being faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept; rejecting it instead.

-              Insisting that it’s not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence that it is true

Anger/ depression: a reaction to loss, and to change in social status and treatment.

-              This may include withdrawal, internalized hostility, self-blame, feelings of worthlessness, suicidal ideation, or grief

-              Individuals may grieve for their change in body image, function, former satisfaction that may be derived, or for the loss of future expectations based on the function that is lost

Adjustment/ acceptance: this stage does not necessarily imply happiness about one’s disability; however, it allows the relinquishment of false hopes and successful adaptation of new roles based on realistic limitations and new potentials.

-              A person may benefit from seeing other people in similar situations

- the individual feels more comfortable with the changed self


14.  What happens to patients with high fever systemically

15.  Acute inflammation and causes- pain, edema, heart, erythema

  • Acute inflammation is when the inflammatory stimulus acts on blood cells and plasma constituents.

  • Erythema: redness - vasodilation and increased blood flow

  • Heat: vasodilation and increased blood flow

  • Edema: swelling - fluid and cells leaking from local blood vessels into the extravascular spaces

  • Pain: direct trauma; chemical mediation by bradykinins, histamines, and serotonin, swelling of nerve endings

16.  Types of immunity and what is responsible

17.  Patients with HIV infection and types of exercise

18.  Immune system effect and types of  exercise

19.  Hypersensitivity reactions

20.  Autoimmune treatments

-              Treatment must maintain a balance between adequate suppression of the autoimmune reaction to avoid continued damage to the body’s tissue and maintenance of sufficient functioning of the immune mechanism to protect against foreign invaders

-              Typically treated with corticosteroids to produce an anti-inflammatory effect


21.  Fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Systemic lupus erythematosus characteristics and PT treatments


22.  MRSA, influenze hep b, measles, tetanus, diphtheria (are there vaccines for these)

-              There’s a vaccine for tetanus, Hep B, influenza, measles, and diphtheria.

-              No vaccine for MRSA


23.  Mode of transmission: contact, airborne, vehicle, droplet with examples

a.        Contact: occurs directly or indirectly

i.         Directly – the direct transfer of microorganisms that come into physical contact either by skin-to-skin contact or mucous membrane-to-mucous contact. Examples are kissing, skin-to-skin touching, body fluids/wounds.

 ii.         Indirectly – the transfer of microorganisms from a source to a host by passive transfer from an inanimate, intermediate object. Examples are telephones, doorknobs, and countertops.

b.        Airborne: occurs when disease-causing organisms are so small (less than 5 microns) that they are capable of floating on air currents within a room and remain suspended in the air for several hours.

c.        Vehicle: occurs when infectious organisms are transmitted through a common source to many potential susceptible hosts. Examples are waterborne and foodborne.

d.    Droplet: larger particles (greater than 5 microns) than airborne particles and they do not remain suspended in air but fall out within 3 feet of the source. An example is influenza

24.  Lines of defense: first, second and third

  1. First: defenses are external, such as skin. It acts to inhibit invasion of pathogens and remove them before they have an opportunity to multiply.

  2. Second: inflammation.

  3. Third: immune response.


25.  C diff characteristics, population

-              Toxins damage and inflame the colon, causes diarrhea & colitis, severe cases can lead to toxic megacolon or perforation

-              Often occurs after antibiotics disrupt normal gut flora

-              Is spread in a fecal-oral route

-              Signs are watery diarrhea, abdominal pain/cramping, fever, nausea, dehydration

-              People who are 65 and older are at a definite risk as well as residents that live in acute or long term health care facilities


26.  Ligament vs tendon injuries (sprain vs strain), other names contusion, laceration

-              Ligament injuries: can be caused by abnormal or excessive joint motion

-              Tendon injuries:

-              Strains are when an excessive tensile force leads to overstraining of the myofibers


27.  Grades of sprains and strains/characteristics

-              Grade 1: stretch/microtears; no laxity

-              Grade 2: partial tear; some laxity

-              Grade 3: complete tear/rupture; significant joint laxity


28.  Phases of healing with appropriate treatment

  • Hemostasis and degeneration, and inflammation: stops bleeding by the formation of blood clots, inflammation replaces injured tissues with healthy regenerated tissue and fights infection

Treatment: make sure the wound is clean, protect the wound and help control the pain and swelling

  • Proliferation and migration: uses endothelial cell proliferation to establish a vascular network that can transport oxygen  and nutrients and support the metabolism of the healing tissue

Treatment: increase activity at a slow pace and promote tissue repair

  • Remodeling and maturation: leaves the tissue smoother, stronger, less dense, and less red as the concentration of blood vessels in the area decreases; could take up to years but as time goes on, the scar tissue grows stronger, relaxes then lightens

Treatment: progress with strength and flexibility

29.  Grades of Strains/sprains

a.        Grade 1: stretch, microtears, no laxity.

b.        Grade 2: partial tear, some laxity.

c.        Grade 3: complete tear/rupture, sig jt laxity.