ABPMR Pediatric Rehab study guide
ABPMR Pediatric Rehab · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) is one of the subspecialty certifications administered by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, listed alongside Brain Injury Medicine, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Neuromuscular Medicine, Pain Medicine, Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, and Sports Medicine. It is aimed at physicians who already hold PM&R certification, have completed subspecialty training in the rehabilitation of infants, children, and adolescents, and want that expertise documented for employers, peers, and families. The ABPMR Pediatric Rehab study guide has 8 sections and about 2,407 words.
01Pediatric Brain Injury
Mechanism tracks with development: abusive head trauma in infants (rotational acceleration causing diffuse axonal injury, retinal hemorrhage, rib fractures), falls in toddlers, pedestrian and bicycle trauma in school-age children, and motor vehicle crashes and sport in adolescents. Focal contusions (frontal and temporal poles) and diffuse axonal injury often coexist.
313 words, about 2 min02Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury
Children under about 8 years have ligamentous laxity, horizontally oriented facet joints, and a proportionally large head, so upper cervical (C1-C2) injuries and atlanto-occipital disruption predominate. Spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is a pediatric diagnosis - the cord is injured but plain films are normal; MRI and immobilization are required, and delayed deterioration can occur.
302 words, about 2 min03Neuromuscular Disease and Electrodiagnosis
Proximal weakness with Gowers sign, calf pseudohypertrophy, and markedly elevated creatine kinase suggests dystrophinopathy; genetic testing, not electrodiagnosis, confirms it. Floppy infants with preserved cognition, tongue fasciculations, and a deletion of SMN1 have spinal muscular atrophy.
309 words, about 2 min04Musculoskeletal and Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Developmental dysplasia of the hip is screened with Ortolani and Barlow maneuvers in the first 2 to 3 months, with ultrasound reserved for risk factors or equivocal exams - routine ultrasound at birth overdiagnoses because of physiologic immaturity. Treatment is a Pavlik harness in infants and reduction with casting or surgery in older children.
298 words, about 1 min05Developmental Disabilities and Congenital Conditions
Cerebral palsy is a nonprogressive disorder of movement and posture; the phenotype changes with growth but the lesion does not. Use GMFCS for gross motor function and MACS for hand function - both are stable enough to communicate prognosis, and children generally stay in the same level.
284 words, about 1 min06Cardiopulmonary, Chronic Illness, and Cancer Rehabilitation
Children with repaired congenital heart disease usually tolerate and benefit from exercise; those with Fontan circulation have limited cardiac output reserve, chronotropic incompetence, and reduced exercise capacity, so prescribe interval activity with adequate hydration and avoid sustained high-intensity isometric work. Eisenmenger physiology warrants caution with exertion.
295 words, about 1 min07Assistive Technology, Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Mobility
Match the wheelchair to posture and function: tilt-in-space manages pressure and tone, recline aids tolerance and catheterization, and power mobility supports exploration and cognition. Do not wait for independent sitting before trialing power mobility - children as young as 18 months to 3 years can learn cause and effect driving with training and a safe environment.
304 words, about 2 min08Pediatric Rehabilitation Practice, Systems, and Transitions of Care
Early intervention under IDEA Part C serves children from birth to 3 through an Individualized Family Service Plan, which is family-directed and can be delivered in the home. From age 3, Part B provides school-based services through an Individualized Education Program for children whose disability affects educational performance.
302 words, about 2 min