A 16-year-old female accompanied by her mother receives exercise instructions. During the treatment session the mother makes several comments to her daughter that appear to be extremely upsetting and result in the daughter losing concentration. The MOST appropriate action is:

A patient exercising in the physical therapy gym informs the physical therapist assistant that he is experiencing chest pain. After resting for 20 minutes the patient’s condition is unchanged, however, he insists it is something that he can work through. The MOST appropriate action is:

A physical therapist assistant observes a patient with a transtibial amputation ambulating in the physical therapy gym. The physical therapist assistant notices that the patient cannot maintain full knee extension during the loading response on the prosthetic side. The MOST likely rationale for the observation is:

A physical therapist assistant attempts to assess a patient’s relative risk for developing coronary artery disease. Which patient scenario would result in the patient being at the greatest risk?

A physical therapist assistant uses a subjective pain scale to assess pain intensity in a patient with multiple sclerosis. The pain scale consists of a 10 cm line with each end anchored by one extreme of perceived pain intensity. The patient is asked to mark on the line the point that best describes their present pain level. This type of scale is BESTtermed:

A patient has weakness of the quadriceps secondary to a femoral nerve injury. When observing the patient’s gait from heel strike to foot flat, the physical therapist assistant would MOST likely observe the patient compensate for their injury by:

A physical therapist assistant attempts to obtain a history from a patient that recently immigrated to the United States. The patient does not speak English and seems to be intimidated by the hospital environment. The MOST appropriate action is to:

A physical therapist assistant treats a patient who has experienced a lengthy hospitalization. Which cardiovascular system change is LEAST likely with prolonged bed rest?

A physical therapist assistant elects to use mechanical lumbar traction for a patient rehabilitating from a back injury. The therapeutic goals of the session include decreasing the patient’s muscle spasm. The MOST appropriate force based on the stated objective would be:

A physical therapist assistant instructs a patient in a traditional bench press exercise using free weights. Which modification would be the MOST beneficial to limit the amount of stress placed on the anterior capsule of the shoulder?