Kuwait MOH Physiotherapist key terms

The visible movement of bones at a joint, described in terms of swing through cardinal planes and rotation around a longitudinal axis, as opposed to the invisible gliding that occurs between joint surfaces.

Movement occurring between the articular surfaces of a joint, comprising roll, glide and spin, which therapists use to choose the direction of a mobilising force during manual therapy.

A guide for manual therapy stating that when a convex surface moves on a concave one, the glide occurs opposite the bone movement, whereas a concave surface moving on convex glides in the same direction.

The joint position with maximal surface contact and ligamentous tension, in which accessory movement is minimal and the joint is most resistant to capsular stretching.

The joint position of least congruency and minimal capsular tension, where accessory gliding is greatest and where joint mobilisation and traction are usually applied.

The principle that a muscle generates greatest active tension at its resting or slightly stretched length and progressively less when shortened or over-stretched, guiding exercise positioning and stretching decisions.

The inverse relationship in which concentric force output falls as movement speed rises, while eccentric contractions can produce greater force than isometric ones at the same joint angle.

Loss of force in a two-joint muscle when it is shortened over both joints simultaneously, such as reduced grip strength when the wrist is fully flexed.

The limitation of full range at one joint when a two-joint muscle crossing it is already stretched over the other joint, for example hamstring tightness restricting hip flexion with the knee extended.

Loading a muscle while it lengthens under tension, producing high force at low metabolic cost; widely used in tendinopathy rehabilitation to stimulate tendon remodelling and improve load tolerance.

A clinical syndrome of activity-related tendon pain with impaired function, usually reflecting degenerative change rather than acute inflammation, managed primarily with progressive loading exercise.

Skilled passive techniques, including mobilisation, manipulation, traction and soft tissue work, applied to reduce pain and improve movement, usually as an adjunct to active exercise rather than a stand-alone treatment.

The small accessory gliding and distraction available at a joint that cannot be produced actively; it is assessed and restored during mobilisation and is distinct from the physiological range of motion.

Surgical replacement or resurfacing of a joint, most commonly the hip or knee, after which rehabilitation follows precautions against excessive flexion, adduction or rotation in the early postoperative phase.

Surgical realignment of a fracture with metal plates, screws or nails to hold the fragments stable, typically allowing earlier controlled movement than conservative management of the same fracture.

The prescribed amount of load a patient may place through a limb, described as non, touch-down, partial, weight-bearing as tolerated or full; it must be confirmed before gait training begins.

Damage to the corticospinal tract above the anterior horn cell, producing increased tone, hyperreflexia, spasticity, clonus and a positive Babinski sign, with weakness rather than flaccid paralysis.

Damage to the anterior horn cell or its peripheral axon, producing flaccid weakness, reduced tone, atrophy, fasciculation and loss of reflexes in the affected muscles.

A velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes with exaggerated tendon jerks, resulting from hyperexcitability of the stretch reflex after upper motor neuron damage.

A six-point ordinal clinical scale grading resistance to passive movement from zero, no increase in tone, to four, rigid in flexion or extension; it measures tone, not functional performance.

A life-threatening hypertensive surge with bradycardia, headache, sweating and flushing triggered by noxious stimuli below a spinal cord lesion above roughly T6; the cause must be found and removed.

The most caudal segment with intact sensory and motor function on both sides, defining the neurological level; lesions are classed as tetraplegia or paraplegia and graded by the ASIA impairment scale.

Bladder dysfunction after neurological damage, producing either failure to store or failure to empty urine; management may involve intermittent catheterisation, which therapists must respect during treatment scheduling.

A peripheral vestibular disorder in which displaced otoconia in a semicircular canal cause brief spinning vertigo on head position change, with characteristic nystagmus; treated by canalith repositioning manoeuvres.

A positional test in which the head is turned and the patient lies back quickly, provoking vertigo and torsional nystagmus when posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is present.

An exercise-based programme using habituation, gaze stabilisation and balance training to reduce dizziness and improve postural control in peripheral or central vestibular disorders.

An airway clearance method combining one or two huffs from mid to low lung volume with relaxed breathing and a cough, moving secretions with less airway collapse than repeated hard coughing.

Breathing out against a fixed resistance through a mask or mouthpiece to splint airways open, mobilise secretions and improve ventilation, often followed by huffing or coughing.

A planned set of techniques, including positioning, percussion, oscillating devices and breathing exercises, used to remove retained secretions in conditions such as bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis and neuromuscular weakness.

A submaximal field test measuring the greatest distance walked in six minutes on a flat corridor; it assesses functional exercise capacity and is used before and after pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation.

A supervised programme of exercise training, education and self-management for people with chronic lung disease, improving dyspnoea, exercise tolerance and quality of life; it is indicated after exacerbation.

Placing a patient face down, used in severe hypoxaemic respiratory failure to improve ventilation-perfusion matching; requires careful pressure area protection and airway monitoring in intensive care.

A five-level classification describing self-initiated movement and sitting, walking and wheeled mobility in cerebral palsy, stable over time and used to set realistic functional goals.

A group of permanent disorders of movement and posture caused by non-progressive disturbance of the developing fetal or infant brain, often accompanied by sensory, cognitive and communication impairments.

The resistance felt when a limb is moved passively at rest; it may be reduced in flaccidity, increased in spasticity or rigidity, or fluctuate as in athetosis, and is graded clinically.

A standardised instrument with known reliability, validity and responsiveness used to quantify a patient's status or change over time and to support clinical decisions and documentation.

The smallest change in an outcome score that a patient would perceive as beneficial, used to judge whether a measured improvement is meaningful rather than merely statistically significant.

A collaborative process of agreeing specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound targets with the patient, linking impairment-level findings to meaningful activity and participation goals.

Application of low-intensity pulsed current through surface electrodes to modulate pain, thought to act through gate control and endogenous opioid mechanisms; electrode placement and parameters determine effect.

Driving charged drug ions into tissue using a direct current through an electrode of matching polarity, used for local delivery of anti-inflammatory agents; skin burns and irritation are possible adverse effects.

A condition or circumstance in which a treatment should not be used because the risk outweighs the benefit, such as electrical stimulation over a pacemaker or a pregnant uterus.

A condition in which a treatment may still be given but requires modified dosage, closer monitoring or extra safeguards, for example impaired sensation when applying heat.

A device such as a walking stick, crutch, rollator or frame that widens the base of support or reduces limb loading; correct height and fit are essential for safety and energy efficiency.

A patient's voluntary agreement to assessment or treatment after receiving understandable information about purpose, expected benefit, alternatives, material risks and the right to refuse or withdraw.

The boundaries of assessment, treatment and referral activities a physiotherapist is trained and authorised to perform, set by law, professional regulation and employer policy.

The contemporaneous written record of assessment findings, treatment, consent, advice and communication, which supports continuity of care and provides legal evidence of professional decision-making.

Infection control measures applied to every patient regardless of diagnosis, including hand hygiene, gloves, gowns, eye protection and safe handling of sharps and body fluids.

Localised damage to skin and underlying tissue over a bony prominence from sustained pressure or shear, staged by depth; prevention relies on repositioning, support surfaces and skin inspection.

An experimental design in which participants are allocated by chance to intervention or control groups, minimising selection bias and providing the strongest single-study evidence of treatment effect.

A structured synthesis that formulates a question, searches comprehensively, appraises included studies and pools results where appropriate, forming the basis of clinical guidelines.

A range of values within which the true population effect is likely to lie, usually at ninety-five percent; its width reflects precision and it conveys more information than a p-value alone.

The number of patients who must receive an intervention for one additional favourable outcome, calculated as one divided by the absolute risk reduction; lower values indicate greater clinical benefit.