Egypt Physiotherapy Licensure Exam flashcards

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

Close-packed position of knee

Full extension with lateral tibial rotation. In this position joint surfaces are maximally congruent, ligaments are taut, and accessory gliding is minimal, so it is used as a reference for stability testing.

Radial nerve injury sign

Wrist drop with weakness of wrist and finger extensors, plus sensory loss over the dorsal first web space. It follows a mid-shaft humeral fracture damaging the nerve in the spiral groove.

Type I muscle fibres

Slow-twitch, oxidative fibres with high capillary density and mitochondrial content, low fatigability and low force output. They dominate postural muscles and endurance activity such as prolonged standing or distance running.

Karvonen formula

Target heart rate equals resting heart rate plus intensity fraction multiplied by the difference between maximal and resting heart rate. It sets exercise intensity using heart rate reserve rather than age-predicted maximum alone.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness

Muscle tenderness and stiffness peaking 24 to 72 hours after unaccustomed, especially eccentric, exercise. It reflects microdamage and inflammation, not lactic acid, and resolves with light activity.

Collagen remodelling in healing

During the remodelling phase, initially deposited type III collagen is replaced by stronger type I collagen, and fibres align along lines of tensile stress. Controlled progressive loading improves final tissue strength.

Osteoporosis diagnostic threshold

A bone mineral density T-score of -2.5 or lower at the hip or spine on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Scores between -1 and -2.5 define osteopenia and indicate elevated fracture risk.

Neurotmesis

Complete transection of a peripheral nerve with disruption of axon and connective sheaths. Regeneration is poor without surgical repair, and the prognosis for functional recovery is guarded.

Ottawa ankle rules

Ankle radiography is indicated after injury if there is malleolar pain plus bone tenderness at the posterior malleolar edge, navicular or fifth metatarsal base, or inability to bear weight four steps.

Trendelenburg sign

Contralateral pelvic drop when standing on one leg, indicating weakness of the hip abductors, chiefly gluteus medius, supplied by the superior gluteal nerve. It is a key test in hip and lumbar assessment.

Spurling test

Cervical extension, lateral flexion and axial compression reproduce ipsilateral arm pain in cervical radiculopathy. It has high specificity and low sensitivity, so a positive result supports the diagnosis.

Modified Ashworth Scale

A six-point ordinal scale grading resistance to passive movement from 0 (no increase in tone) to 4 (rigid limb). Grade 1+ denotes catch followed by minimal resistance through less than half the range.

Autonomic dysreflexia

A hypertensive emergency in spinal cord injury above T6, triggered by noxious stimuli such as bladder distension. Signs include severe headache, bradycardia, sweating and flushing; sit the patient up and remove the trigger.

ASIA A classification

A complete spinal cord injury with no sensory or motor function preserved in the sacral segments S4-S5. The neurological level is the most caudal segment with intact function.

Pursed-lip breathing

A breathing technique that prolongs expiration against slight resistance, creating back pressure that limits dynamic hyperinflation and reduces dyspnoea in obstructive lung disease. It is taught during activity and recovery.

Six-minute walk test

A submaximal field test of functional exercise capacity measuring distance walked in six minutes. A change of about 30 metres is the minimal clinically important difference in chronic lung disease.

Borg 6-20 scale

A rating of perceived exertion from 6 (no exertion) to 20 (maximal). Scores of 11 to 13 correspond to moderate intensity and are commonly targeted in cardiac rehabilitation.

Ponseti method

Serial manipulative casting for congenital talipes equinovarus, usually with percutaneous Achilles tenotomy, followed by foot abduction bracing to maintain correction and prevent relapse. It is first-line in infancy.

Erb palsy posture

Brachial plexus birth injury of C5-C6 producing the waiter's tip posture: shoulder adduction and internal rotation, elbow extension, forearm pronation and wrist flexion. Most cases recover with positioning and range of motion.

GMFCS levels

The Gross Motor Function Classification System has five levels describing self-initiated movement in cerebral palsy, from walking without limitation at level I to transport-dependent mobility at level V. It is stable over time.

Ultrasound duty cycle

Continuous ultrasound delivers uninterrupted energy and produces thermal effects, while pulsed modes interrupt delivery to reduce heating. Pulsed ultrasound is chosen over acute inflammation or where heating is contraindicated.

TENS contraindications

Avoid transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation over the anterior neck and carotid sinus, the thorax, the pregnant abdomen and areas with pacemakers or implanted electronic devices. Impaired sensation and malignancy are relative cautions.

Minimal detectable change

The smallest change in score that exceeds measurement error, calculated as 1.96 multiplied by the standard error of measurement and by the square root of two. Smaller observed changes cannot be distinguished from noise.

Manual muscle test grade 3

The patient moves the joint through full available range against gravity but cannot tolerate any added resistance. Grade 2 allows movement only with gravity eliminated, and grade 0 indicates no palpable contraction.

Timed Up and Go

The time to rise from a chair, walk three metres, turn and return to sitting. Ten seconds or less suggests independence, and 20 seconds or more suggests need for assistance with mobility.

Informed consent elements

Valid consent requires patient capacity, adequate disclosure of the nature, risks and benefits of the intervention, comprehension, voluntariness and documentation. Consent may be withdrawn at any stage of care.

Negligence elements

A successful claim requires an established duty of care, a breach of the standard expected of a reasonably competent practitioner, causation linking the breach to harm, and actual damage. All four must be shown.

Intention-to-treat analysis

All randomised participants are analysed in their originally assigned groups regardless of adherence or crossover. This preserves the benefit of randomisation and avoids overestimating treatment effect from selective analysis.

Number needed to treat

The reciprocal of the absolute risk reduction, expressing how many patients must be treated for one additional favourable outcome. A smaller number indicates greater clinical benefit of the intervention.

Likelihood ratio positive

Sensitivity divided by one minus specificity. It indicates how much a positive test result raises the probability of disease; values above 10 produce large and often conclusive shifts.

PICO framework

A structure for clinical questions covering population, intervention, comparison and outcome. It guides literature searching and makes the question specific enough to find and appraise relevant evidence.

Specificity definition

The proportion of people without the condition who are correctly identified as negative by a test. High specificity means few false positives, so a positive result helps rule a condition in.