ABPTS NCS flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Upper motor neuron signs

Hyperreflexia, spasticity, Babinski sign, clonus, and loss of dexterity resulting from lesions of the corticospinal tract above the anterior horn cell.

Lower motor neuron signs

Fasciculations, atrophy, hypotonia, and areflexia caused by damage to the anterior horn cell, nerve root, or peripheral nerve.

Cerebellar ataxia

Wide-based gait, dysmetria, and intention tremor with preserved strength; unlike sensory ataxia, it does not worsen markedly with eyes closed.

Brown-Séquard syndrome

Hemispinal cord lesion causing ipsilateral motor and proprioceptive loss with contralateral pain and temperature loss below the level.

Central cord syndrome

Cervical cord injury, often from hyperextension in stenosis, producing greater upper than lower extremity weakness.

Babinski sign

Extension of the great toe with fanning of other toes after plantar stimulation, indicating corticospinal tract dysfunction in adults.

Deep tendon reflex grading

Scale of 0 to 4+; 2+ is normal, 3+ is brisk, and 4+ includes clonus, reflecting reflex arc and supraspinal influences.

Berg Balance Scale

Fourteen-item balance measure scored 0 to 56; scores below 45 predict increased fall risk in older and neurologic adults.

Timed Up and Go

Timed sit-to-stand, walk 3 meters, turn, and return; over 12 seconds suggests increased fall risk.

Community ambulation threshold

Gait speed of at least 1.0 m/s generally supports community ambulation; below 0.8 m/s indicates limited community mobility.

Stroke recovery timeline

Motor recovery is fastest in the first 3 to 6 months after stroke, with plateau often by 6 to 12 months depending on lesion severity.

Constraint-induced movement therapy

Restraining the less affected limb while intensively training the affected limb; requires some active wrist and finger extension.

Body-weight supported treadmill training

Locomotor training with partial weight support used when overground gait is unsafe or endurance is insufficient.

ASIA Impairment Scale

Classification A through E of spinal cord injury completeness; AIS A, complete injury, carries the poorest ambulation prognosis.

SMART goals

Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, aligned with patient priorities and prognosis.

Spasticity management options

Sustained stretch, positioning, and casting for tone; botulinum toxin for focal spasticity and intrathecal baclofen for generalized spasticity.

Vestibular rehabilitation approaches

Habituation for positional vertigo, gaze-stability adaptation exercises, and substitution strategies for bilateral vestibular loss.

External cueing in Parkinson disease

Auditory or visual cues and large-amplitude stepping used to reduce freezing and improve gait in Parkinson disease.

Autonomic dysreflexia

Injury at T6 or above causing sudden hypertension, headache, and bradycardia; sit upright and identify the trigger.

Levodopa-carbidopa

Mainstay therapy for Parkinson disease; long-term use is associated with dyskinesias and on-off motor fluctuations.

Corticosteroid adverse effects

Prolonged use causes muscle weakness, osteoporosis, and impaired wound healing, affecting rehabilitation tolerance and fracture risk.

Anticoagulant precautions

Warfarin, heparin, and direct oral anticoagulants increase bleeding risk; monitor for bruising and avoid aggressive vascular manual therapy.

Motor development sequence

Cephalocaudal and proximodistal progression; head control precedes rolling, sitting, crawling, and walking in typical development.

Primitive reflex integration

Moro, asymmetric tonic neck, and palmar grasp reflexes typically integrate within the first 4 to 6 months; persistence suggests neurologic concern.

Gait cycle phases

Stance occupies about 60 percent and swing about 40 percent of the cycle; double support increases with age and pathology.

Physical activity guidelines

Adults should achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate activity weekly plus muscle-strengthening activity twice weekly.

Teach-back method

Asking patients to restate the plan in their own words to confirm comprehension, especially when health literacy is limited.

Secondary stroke prevention

Antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy plus control of blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and physical activity to reduce recurrence.

Informed consent

Disclosing risks, benefits, and alternatives so patients can voluntarily decide about evaluation and intervention, respecting autonomy.

Number needed to treat

The reciprocal of absolute risk reduction; the number of patients treated to prevent one additional adverse outcome.

Sensitivity and specificity

Sensitivity detects disease when present; specificity rules out disease when absent; both are properties of the test, not prevalence.

Minimal clinically important difference

The smallest change in an outcome that patients perceive as beneficial, distinct from statistical significance.