Your FREE NPTE-PTA Flashcards 2026 – 100+ Cards

A clinician who delivers selected interventions and collects data under a physical therapist's direction and supervision; the PTA does not evaluate, diagnose, or establish the plan of care.

The PT's written program of goals and interventions; only the PT may establish or change it, and the PTA carries it out within its limits.

Perform the initial examination/evaluation, interpret findings to diagnose, establish or change the plan of care, or perform discharge planning — these are the PT's role.

The relationship in which the PT directs and is responsible for the PTA's work; supervision may be general, direct, or direct-personal depending on setting and regulation.

The PTA's correct action: ensure safety, collect data, and communicate the change back to the supervising physical therapist — not re-evaluate or change the plan.

Honor the competent patient's right to refuse, document the refusal, and notify the supervising physical therapist.

A patient's voluntary agreement to treatment after being told its nature, risks, benefits, and alternatives; the PTA respects autonomy throughout care.

Protects individually identifiable protected health information (PHI) and limits its use and disclosure to authorized purposes such as treatment, payment, and operations.

Sharing patient information for treatment — e.g., a PTA discussing the plan of care with the supervising PT — is permitted; sharing with unauthorized people is not.

The ethical principle of respecting a patient's right to make their own informed decisions, including the right to refuse care.

Beneficence = act in the patient's best interest; nonmaleficence = do no harm. Both anchor PT/PTA ethical conduct.

Integrating the best available research evidence with clinical experience and patient values to guide care delivered within the plan of care.

From strongest to weakest: systematic reviews/meta-analyses of RCTs, then RCTs, cohort and case-control studies, case series/reports, and expert opinion.

The consistency of a measurement — whether it gives the same result on repetition (test-retest), between raters (inter-rater), or within a rater (intra-rater).

Whether a test actually measures what it claims to measure; a test can be reliable without being valid, but not valid without being reliable.

A test's ability to correctly identify those with the condition; a highly sensitive test with a NEGATIVE result helps rule the condition OUT.

A test's ability to correctly identify those without the condition; a highly specific test with a POSITIVE result helps rule the condition IN.

Agreement between two or more raters measuring the same thing — e.g., two PTAs obtaining the same goniometric reading.

HR 60–100 bpm, BP < 120/80 mmHg, RR 12–20 breaths/min, SpO₂ ≥ 95% on room air — the PTA monitors these before, during, and after activity.

A patient's subjective rating of effort (6–20 or 0–10) the PTA uses to gauge and grade exercise intensity, useful when medications blunt heart rate.

Ankle systolic pressure ÷ brachial systolic pressure; a screen for peripheral arterial disease.

1.0–1.4 normal; 0.91–0.99 borderline; ≤ 0.90 arterial insufficiency; > 1.40 suggests noncompressible, calcified vessels (common in diabetes).

A clot in a deep vein causing unilateral calf swelling, warmth, redness, and tenderness; a red flag to hold exercise and report because it can cause a pulmonary embolism.

A clinical decision rule that estimates the pretest probability of DVT (or PE); it guides next steps but does not by itself diagnose.

A drop > 20 mmHg systolic / 10 mmHg diastolic on standing; change positions gradually and monitor, common in immobilized or SCI patients.

Chest pain/tightness, severe dyspnea, dizziness, a sharp BP change, or falling SpO₂: stop, ensure safety, monitor, and report to the PT.

Chest pain from myocardial ischemia; stable angina is exertional and relieved by rest/nitroglycerin — stop activity and rest if it appears.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; manage with airway clearance, breathing exercises (pursed-lip), energy conservation, and paced activity.

Exhaling slowly through pursed lips to keep airways open longer, reduce air trapping, and ease dyspnea in obstructive lung disease.

Positioning a patient to use gravity to clear secretions from specific lung segments, often combined with percussion and vibration.

Watch for weight gain, edema, and worsening dyspnea; grade intensity to tolerance and report decompensation to the PT.

Noninvasive measure of arterial oxygen saturation; a fall below ~88–90% during activity warrants a pause, recovery, and report.

Measurement of joint range of motion in degrees using a goniometer; reliability depends on consistent positioning, bony landmarks, and technique.

Grades strength 0–5: 0 none, 1 flicker, 2 full range gravity-eliminated, 3 full range against gravity, 4 against moderate resistance, 5 against maximal resistance.

The gravity pivot — full active range of motion against gravity with no added resistance; below 3 is tested gravity-eliminated.

Full range of motion in a gravity-eliminated (gravity-minimized) position.

Active ROM is moved by the patient; passive ROM is moved by the clinician with the patient relaxed; active-assisted is a blend.

The quality of resistance felt at the end of passive ROM — normal (soft, firm, hard) or abnormal (empty, springy, boggy) — clues to the limiting structure.

An overstretch or tear of a LIGAMENT (bone-to-bone), graded I–III by severity; most common at the ankle.

An overstretch or tear of a MUSCLE or its TENDON, graded I–III by severity.

Inflammatory (acute), proliferative (repair), and remodeling (maturation); the phase guides how aggressively the plan progresses exercise.

Acute soft-tissue management: Protection, (Optimal Loading), Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation — POLICE replaces rest with optimal loading.

After a posterior-approach total hip replacement: no hip flexion past 90°, no adduction past midline, no internal rotation — these risk dislocation.

Knee hyperextension; on goniometry it reads as motion past 0° into the negative.

Open chain = distal segment free (knee extension machine); closed chain = distal segment fixed (squat), generally more functional and joint-stable.

Concentric = muscle shortens under load; eccentric = muscle lengthens under load (controls a descent) and generates the most force/soreness.

OA is degenerative wear of weight-bearing joints; RA is a symmetric autoimmune inflammatory disease — avoid aggressive exercise during RA flares.

Low-load, prolonged stretch (often with heat first) increases tissue extensibility more safely than brief, forceful stretching.

Holding the segment proximal to a joint during MMT/goniometry to prevent substitution that would inflate the measurement.

Damage to brain or spinal cord producing spasticity, hyperreflexia, clonus, a positive Babinski, and little atrophy (e.g., stroke, SCI, MS).

Damage to the anterior horn, root, or peripheral nerve producing flaccidity, hyporeflexia/areflexia, fasciculations, and marked atrophy.

Velocity-dependent increased muscle tone from a UMN lesion — resistance to passive stretch rises with the speed of movement.

Rhythmic involuntary muscle contractions in response to a quick stretch; a sign of an upper motor neuron lesion.

Extension (dorsiflexion) of the great toe with fanning when the sole is stroked; positive in adults indicates an upper motor neuron lesion.

Six stages after stroke: (1) flaccidity, (2) emerging synergies/spasticity, (3) peak spasticity with voluntary synergies, (4)–(5) synergies decline, (6) near-normal isolated movement.

Help the patient gain voluntary control of the synergies first, then progress toward breaking out of them into isolated movement.

A medical emergency in SCI at/above T6: a noxious stimulus below the lesion spikes BP with a pounding headache, flushing, and sweating above the lesion.

Sit the patient upright to lower blood pressure, then find and remove the noxious trigger (often a full bladder/kinked catheter) and call for help.

Rates eye, verbal, and motor responses (3–15) to grade level of consciousness after brain injury; lower scores mean greater impairment.

A progressive disorder with resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability; PT focuses on large-amplitude movement, gait, and balance.

Avoid overheating and fatigue (Uhthoff's phenomenon worsens symptoms with heat); use frequent rest and cooling.

An area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve root; mapping sensory loss helps localize the level of a nerve lesion.

A group of muscles supplied by a single spinal nerve root; weakness in a myotome helps localize a root-level problem.

Ataxia, dysmetria, intention tremor, and impaired coordination — train balance and coordination with the activity graded for safety.

Decerebrate = extension of all limbs (worse, brainstem); decorticate = arms flexed toward the core, legs extended — both indicate severe brain injury.

Diagonal movement patterns and techniques (e.g., contract-relax) that use the body's proprioceptors to facilitate or strengthen movement.

Stage 1 = intact skin, nonblanchable redness; 2 = partial-thickness loss/blister; 3 = full-thickness exposing fat; 4 = exposes muscle, tendon, or bone.

Repositioning on a schedule, offloading bony prominences, pressure-relieving surfaces, skin inspection, and managing moisture — the top PTA action.

Removing devitalized tissue by applying a saline-moistened gauze that is allowed to dry and then removed, taking debris with it (nonselective).

Shakiness, sweating, hunger, confusion, tachycardia; if alert and able to swallow, give ~15 g fast-acting carbohydrate, wait ~15 min, and recheck (15/15 rule).

Hold aerobic exercise if blood glucose is above 250 mg/dL with ketones present, because exercise can worsen the metabolic state.

Inspect insensate feet before and after activity, watch for skin breakdown, and ensure proper footwear — neuropathy hides injury.

Protein-rich swelling from impaired lymphatic drainage, often after lymph-node removal; managed with complete decongestive therapy.

Lymphedema management: manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandaging/garments, exercise, and meticulous skin care.

Light, slow, rhythmic skin-stretching strokes directed toward functioning lymph nodes to move lymph fluid out of a congested region.

Items that require integrating across systems — e.g., a diabetic with PAD and an insensate foot needs combined skin, vascular, and neuro vigilance.

Scheduled voiding to gradually retrain the bladder to hold larger volumes and reduce urgency/incontinence episodes.

Increasing general physical activity and progressing out-of-bed mobility helps relieve constipation in an immobile patient.

From most to least support: walker > axillary crutches > forearm crutches > cane. More base/contact points = more stable but slower.

Hold the cane in the hand OPPOSITE the involved (affected) leg, advancing the cane and the affected leg together.

Non-weight-bearing: no weight at all on the limb; the foot does not touch the floor.

Toe-touch / touch-down weight-bearing: only the toes rest on the floor for balance (~weight of the leg), not body weight.

PWB = a set percentage of body weight; WBAT = as much as comfort allows; FWB = no restriction (full body weight).

Three-point keeps weight off one limb (most stable for NWB/PWB); two-point moves an opposite arm and leg together (faster, less stable).

Measured from the posterior buttock to the popliteal fold, then subtract about two inches to avoid pressure behind the knee.

Set so the elbow rests at about 90° with the forearm comfortably supported and the shoulders neither elevated nor depressed.

A lower back (below the inferior scapular angle) frees scapular and arm movement for efficient propulsion in an active user.

An orthosis that controls the ankle and foot — commonly used to manage drop foot and assist push-off/clearance during gait.

A prosthesis for amputation below the knee; gait deviations often trace to socket fit and foot/alignment settings.

Swinging the prosthetic leg out in an arc, often caused by a prosthesis that is functionally too long or a knee that won't flex enough in swing.

Inspect the residual limb for redness/breakdown, monitor socket fit, reinforce the wearing schedule, and report problems to the PT.

Cold causing vasoconstriction that reduces swelling, pain, and metabolism — best in the acute phase (first 24–72 h) of injury.

Cold hypersensitivity/urticaria, Raynaud's, impaired sensation, and impaired circulation over the treatment site.

Heat causing vasodilation that raises blood flow and tissue extensibility — for subacute/chronic problems, NOT acute injury.

Use six to eight layers of toweling to insulate the skin and prevent a burn while allowing comfortable heat transfer.

Acute injury, active bleeding, malignancy, impaired sensation, and impaired circulation over the area.

A deep agent (continuous = thermal, pulsed = nonthermal); avoid over malignancy, the pregnant uterus, eyes, heart, pacemaker, and open growth plates.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain control; conventional (high-rate) TENS uses ~100 pulses/sec at a comfortable sensory intensity.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation used for muscle re-education and strengthening by eliciting a muscle contraction.

Using direct current to drive a charged medication through the skin; like charges repel, so the drug is delivered from the same-charge electrode.

Dexamethasone is negatively charged, so it is delivered from beneath the negative (cathode) electrode.

Avoid placing electrodes over the carotid sinus, a pacemaker, the pregnant uterus, or an active malignancy.

Distraction used for cervical/lumbar radicular symptoms; avoid with instability, RA, osteoporosis, malignancy, or cord-compression signs.

Two cross-cutting contraindications: impaired sensation and active malignancy over the treatment site — when present, withhold and consult the PT.

Infection-control practices used with EVERY patient, every time: hand hygiene, gloves for body-fluid contact, and PPE as the task requires.

Clean hands before AND after every patient contact — even if gloves were worn — and after contact with the patient's environment.

Use soap and water (not alcohol-based rub) because alcohol does not kill C. difficile spores.

Add a gown and gloves (and dedicated/cleaned equipment) for MRSA, VRE, C. difficile, and draining wounds.

Add a surgical mask within ~3–6 feet for influenza, pertussis, and bacterial meningitis (spread by large respiratory droplets).

Add an N95 respirator and a negative-pressure room for tuberculosis, measles, and varicella (spread by small airborne particles).

Always used IN ADDITION to standard precautions, never instead of them; matched to how the organism spreads.

Generally remove the most contaminated first: gloves and gown, perform hand hygiene, then face shield/mask, then hand hygiene again.

Immediately wash the wound thoroughly with soap and running water, then report and follow the facility's exposure protocol.

Lock the wheelchair, clear the path, use a gait belt, and position to guard on the patient's weaker side.

A belt secured around the patient's waist that gives the PTA a secure hold to guard, assist, and control during transfers and gait.

Keep loads close, maintain a neutral spine and wide base of support, and lift with the legs — not the back.

Remove throw rugs and clutter, ensure adequate lighting, and provide stable support along the walking path.

Lower-extremity weakness, impaired balance, and orthostatic hypotension raise fall risk and call for closer guarding.

Stay close with a gait belt and a stable support nearby while challenging balance at a safe, progressive level.