CAET flashcards

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

Wallerian degeneration

Degeneration of the axon and myelin distal to a nerve injury; regeneration then proceeds along the intact sheath at roughly 1 mm per day.

Wolff's law

Bone remodels in response to the mechanical loads placed on it, increasing density along lines of stress and decreasing where loads are removed.

Arthrokinematic glide rule

For a convex joint surface moving on a concave surface, the roll and glide occur in opposite directions; for concave on convex, they occur in the same direction.

Type I muscle fibers

Slow-twitch, oxidative fibers with high fatigue resistance and low force output, suited to sustained postural and endurance activity.

Manual muscle test grade 3

The patient completes the full available range of motion against gravity but cannot tolerate any added manual resistance; grade 3 of 5.

Dermatome C7

Sensory territory supplied by the C7 nerve root, tested over the middle finger; useful for localizing cervical radiculopathy.

Glasgow Coma Scale

Sum of eye, verbal, and motor scores ranging from 3 to 15; a total of 8 or less indicates severe impairment.

Sensitivity

The proportion of people who truly have a condition and are correctly identified by the test as positive; a property of the test itself.

Autonomic dysreflexia

A hypertensive emergency in spinal cord injury above T6, triggered by noxious stimuli below the lesion; treat by sitting upright and removing the stimulus.

Posterior hip precautions

After posterior-approach hip arthroplasty, avoid hip flexion beyond 90 degrees, adduction across midline, and internal rotation to prevent dislocation.

Compartment syndrome signs

Pain out of proportion to injury, pain with passive stretch, paresthesia, pallor, and late pulselessness; a surgical emergency requiring urgent decompression.

Sternal precautions

After median sternotomy, limit lifting to roughly 5-10 lb, avoid arm pushing or pulling, and splint the incision during coughing.

Karvonen formula

Target heart rate equals maximal heart rate minus resting heart rate, multiplied by the desired intensity, then added to resting heart rate.

Progressive overload

The principle that training load must periodically exceed current capacity to drive adaptation; without increased demand, gains plateau.

Random practice

Varying task order across practice trials; it degrades immediate performance but improves long-term retention and transfer compared with blocked practice.

Constraint-induced movement therapy

Restraint of the less affected upper limb combined with intensive task practice of the affected limb, used after stroke and other neurologic injury.

Patellar tendon bearing socket

A transtibial prosthetic socket design that loads the patellar tendon and other tolerant regions while relieving pressure over bony prominences.

Ischial containment socket

A transfemoral socket design that encloses the ischium within the socket brim, improving coronal plane stability compared with quadrilateral designs.

SACH foot

Solid ankle cushion heel prosthetic foot with a rigid ankle and compressible heel wedge, used for lower-activity ambulation and simple terrain.

Ankle-foot orthosis

A device crossing the ankle that controls dorsiflexion and plantar flexion; rigid designs block motion while hinged designs allow controlled range.

Informed consent elements

Capacity, disclosure of risks, benefits, and alternatives, comprehension by the patient, and voluntary agreement; a process rather than a single signature.

Duty to warn

The obligation to notify an identifiable third party and authorities when a patient makes a credible threat of serious harm, as state law requires.

Two-identifier verification

Confirming patient identity using two independent identifiers, such as name and date of birth, before any intervention or medication.

Mandatory reporting

Legally required disclosure of suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse or neglect, and of specified communicable diseases, to designated authorities.

Intention-to-treat analysis

Analyzing participants according to their randomized assignment regardless of adherence or crossover, preserving the benefits of randomization.

Confidence interval

A range of plausible values for an estimate; if the interval for a difference excludes the null value, the result is statistically significant.

Internal validity

The degree to which a study supports a causal inference about the relationship between intervention and outcome, free of systematic bias.

PDSA cycle

Plan-Do-Study-Act: a structured quality improvement method that tests small changes, studies results, and scales or revises accordingly.

SBAR handoff

A standardized communication format covering Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation, used to structure transitions of care between team members.

Teach-back method

Asking the patient to restate instructions in their own words to confirm understanding, rather than asking whether they understood.

Closed-loop communication

The receiver repeats an order or message back to the sender, who confirms it, ensuring the message was received accurately.

Limited English proficiency

A patient characteristic requiring qualified interpreter services for clinical communication; family members should not interpret except in emergencies.