Case Study Phillip: A physical therapist is treating a 34-year-old male, Phillip, who reports neck pain as his chief complaint. Phillip has experienced this pain for the past 8 years, following a motor vehicle accident (MVA) that resulted in a 2-day hospital stay, 8 weeks of collar immobilization, and several physical therapy sessions. He states that he has “never felt the same” since the accident, describing his pain as constant, with no clear aggravating or easing factors. His pain is diffuse and difficult to pinpoint. Additionally, Phillip is currently going through a divorce and a custody battle for his children. Recently, he underwent an MRI that revealed disc bulging, degenerative disc disease, and foraminal stenosis, with his neck pain worsening significantly. The objective examination is challenging, as he reports pain levels of 8-9/10 and demonstrates empty end-feels during all cervical spine range of motion tests. Phillip flinches in pain whenever his neck is touched or palpated by the therapist. Before the PT starts to implement the plan of care, the patient shares with him that he is considering trying these interventions, but is still scared and slightly hesitant to do so. What stage of the transtheoretical model of change is this patient in?

Which of the following in the most appropriate initial step in Cognitive Functional Therapy when working with a patient experiencing chronic pain?

A PTA states that body mass index (BMI) is a very accurate test for determining obesity because it directly measures body fat. Which response by the physical therapist is most appropriate?

Refer to Carla: Carla is a 19-year-old female who was involved in a rear-end motor vehicle accident (MVA) one week ago. Her primary complaints include right-sided temporal headaches and right-sided neck pain radiating into the right upper trapezius and lateral shoulder area. She exhibits hypomobility in several cervical segments, including the right atlantoaxial (AA) joint. The Cervical Rotation Lateral Flexion (CRLF) test was positive with the head rotated to the left. Range of motion testing of the patient described in the above question shows that the motion of the AA joint is now within normal limits. The therapist will next attempt to increase mobility at in the lower cervical spine. A manual technique to increase C3-6 flexion mobility would be:

A physical therapist is treating a patient 12 weeks postpartum for SIJ dysfunction and sciatica.  Upon evaluation the physical therapist discovers muscle tightness in gluteals and weakness in the patient’s abdominal musculature.  The physical therapist determines patient would benefit from assessment for DRA (Diastasis Rectus Abdominis) due to influence on core facilitation, and finds a 3-finger width diastasis at the level of the umbilicus and 4 cm superior to umbilicus.  What would be safe and most ideal interventions to complete within the first 1-2 sessions?

Case study patient Carla: Carla is a 19-year-old female who was involved in a rear-end motor vehicle accident (MVA) three weeks ago. Her primary complaints include right-sided temporal headaches and right-sided neck pain radiating into the right upper trapezius and lateral shoulder. She exhibits hypomobility in several cervical segments, including the right atlantoaxial (AA) joint. The Cervical Rotation Lateral Flexion (CRLF) test was positive with the head rotated to the left. The therapist decides to treat the impairments at the right AA joint first. To begin performing the muscle energy technique to increase right cervical rotation at the AA joint, the patient should be positioned in:

A physical therapist is planning to utilize components of Graded Activity with a patient who is experiencing chronic low back pain. What is an example that this PT may include in the patient plan of care?

Case Study Phillip: A physical therapist is treating a 34-year-old male, Phillip, who reports neck pain as his chief complaint. Phillip has experienced this pain for the past 8 years, following a motor vehicle accident (MVA) that resulted in a 2-day hospital stay, 8 weeks of collar immobilization, and several physical therapy sessions. He states that he has “never felt the same” since the accident, describing his pain as constant, with no clear aggravating or easing factors. His pain is diffuse and difficult to pinpoint. Additionally, Phillip is currently going through a divorce and a custody battle for his children. Recently, he underwent an MRI that revealed disc bulging, degenerative disc disease, and foraminal stenosis, with his neck pain worsening significantly. The objective examination is challenging, as he reports pain levels of 8-9/10 and demonstrates empty end-feels during all cervical spine range of motion tests. Phillip flinches in pain whenever his neck is touched or palpated by the therapist. After several sessions, the PT begins to slowly implement activities that Phil is fearful of, such as returning to the gym, to the tolerance of his symptoms. Which of the following interventions is the PT implementing?

Which of the following is accurate regarding arthrokinematic motions at the temporomandibular (TMJ) joint?

Case study Olivia: A patient reports complaints of chronic right-sided temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction. She reports that she has been experiencing pain for over 5 months, with concomitant clicking after opening the mouth and a reciprocal click when she closes her mouth. She has been to the dentist, in which they told her to avoid parafunctional habits that can contribute to her symptoms. She reports an increase in symptoms since she started graduate school this fall, with her pain getting up to a 6/10 at worst and 1-2/10 at best most days. In addition to her TMJ symptoms, she also reports chronic neck pain and occasional headaches that are bilateral that occur about 25% of the month. The physical therapist (PT) observes the patient mouth opening looking for overall quality of motion. Which of the following motions would the PT suspect to see with the following diagnosis?