Egypt Physiotherapy Licensure Exam key terms

The observable motion of bones at a joint, described by the direction and range of movement such as flexion, extension, abduction or rotation, without considering the surfaces inside the joint.

The accessory motion occurring between joint surfaces during movement, including roll, glide and spin, which must be present for full painless osteokinematic range.

The small passive accessory movement available at a joint that cannot be produced actively, assessed to judge joint mobility and to guide mobilisation techniques.

The quality of resistance felt by the examiner at the limit of passive range, classified as soft, firm or hard, and as normal or abnormal, indicating the restricting tissue.

Measurement of joint range of motion in degrees using a goniometer aligned with bony landmarks, recorded as active or passive range and compared with normative values.

The principle that a muscle generates greatest active force at its optimal resting length and less force when over-shortened or over-lengthened, guiding strengthening and stretching prescription.

The inverse relation between load and shortening speed in concentric work, where force falls as velocity rises, while eccentric contractions can produce higher force than isometric ones.

Loss of force production when a two-joint muscle is shortened simultaneously at both joints it crosses, so it cannot generate effective tension over that range.

Inability of a two-joint muscle to be stretched fully across both joints at once because its extensibility is exceeded, limiting combined range such as hip extension with knee extension.

Muscle action in which the muscle lengthens while producing tension, generating high force at low metabolic cost and causing delayed-onset muscle soreness after unaccustomed loading.

Muscle tenderness and stiffness peaking 24 to 72 hours after unaccustomed eccentric exercise, caused by mechanical disruption of sarcomeres and associated inflammation rather than lactic acid.

Maximal rate of oxygen uptake during incremental exercise, expressed in millilitres per kilogram per minute, reflecting aerobic power and cardiorespiratory fitness.

The exercise intensity at which blood lactate begins to accumulate faster than it is cleared, marking the transition from predominantly aerobic to increasingly anaerobic energy supply.

Vascular and cellular response to injury or infection producing redness, heat, swelling, pain and loss of function, forming the first stage of tissue healing.

The sequential processes of haemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodelling through which injured tissue is repaired, each with different tolerance for load and modality use.

Bone remodels along the lines of mechanical stress applied to it, so progressive loading increases strength while immobilisation causes loss of bone density.

Reduced bone mineral density with microarchitectural deterioration that increases fracture risk, commonly after menopause or prolonged immobility, requiring load-aware exercise prescription.

Clinical findings suggesting serious pathology such as fracture, infection, tumour or cauda equina syndrome, which require referral rather than routine physiotherapy management.

Psychological and social factors such as fear of movement, catastrophising or work dissatisfaction that predict poor recovery and indicate a biopsychosocial approach.

Increased excitability of neurons in the central nervous system producing amplified pain responses to normal stimuli, common in persistent pain states and managed with graded exposure.

An increased pain response to a stimulus that would normally be painful, either at the site of injury or in surrounding and distant tissues.

Pain provoked by a stimulus that does not normally cause pain, such as light touch on the skin, indicating altered sensory processing.

Damage to the corticospinal tract above the anterior horn cell, producing spasticity, hyperreflexia, positive Babinski sign and loss of dexterity rather than flaccid weakness.

Damage to the anterior horn cell or peripheral nerve causing flaccid weakness, reduced tone, muscle wasting, fasciculation and diminished reflexes in the affected territory.

Velocity-dependent increase in muscle tone with exaggerated tendon reflexes, resulting from hyperexcitability of the stretch reflex after upper motor neuron damage.

A six-point ordinal scale grading resistance to passive movement from zero, no increase in tone, to four, rigid in flexion or extension, used to monitor spasticity.

Grading of voluntary muscle strength from zero to five by resisting active movement in a standardised position, with five indicating normal strength against full resistance.

A treatment approach using diagonal patterns, manual resistance and stretch to facilitate muscle activity and improve motor control and range of motion.

The capacity of the nervous system to reorganise its structure and function in response to experience, learning and injury, forming the basis of task-specific rehabilitation after neurological damage.

The processes by which the nervous system plans, executes and adjusts movement to meet task and environmental demands, assessed through observation of posture and functional tasks.

A submaximal field test measuring the greatest distance walked in six minutes on a flat corridor, reflecting functional exercise capacity and used to track cardiopulmonary rehabilitation progress.

A validated rating scale from six to twenty, or zero to ten, used to quantify perceived exertion or breathlessness during exercise and to set safe training intensity.

A breathing technique with a slow controlled expiration through narrowed lips that reduces air trapping and dyspnoea in obstructive lung disease.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation applies low-intensity current through surface electrodes to modulate pain, thought to act through the gate control mechanism and endogenous opioid release.

Delivery of charged medication ions into superficial tissue using a direct current across electrodes, used for local inflammation or hyperhidrosis.

Conditions in which electrical currents must be avoided or applied with caution, including pacemakers, pregnancy over the abdomen, malignancy in the area, impaired sensation and metal implants.

Excess fluid accumulation in interstitial tissue causing swelling, managed by elevation, compression, active exercise and appropriate modalities.

A structured process of history and examination questions used to identify conditions outside the physiotherapist's scope that need medical referral before treatment continues.

Voluntary agreement to assessment or treatment given after the patient receives and understands information about the nature, benefits, risks and alternatives of the proposed intervention.

The professional duty to protect patient information from unauthorised disclosure, sharing it only with those involved in care or as required by law.

An experimental study in which participants are randomly allocated to intervention or control groups, providing the strongest design for judging treatment effectiveness.

A hierarchy ranking study designs by their vulnerability to bias, from systematic reviews and randomised trials at the top to case reports and expert opinion at the bottom.

A range of values within which the true population effect is likely to lie, with a stated probability such as ninety-five per cent, indicating precision of an estimate.

The smallest change in a measurement score that exceeds measurement error, so an observed change beyond this value is likely to be real rather than noise.

Analysis of trial results according to the group to which participants were originally allocated, preserving randomisation and avoiding overestimation of treatment benefit.