| What are the 5 parts of a muscle examination | Tone
Reflexes
Power (Strength)
Coordination
Palpation/Inspection |
| When we palpate a muscle in an examination, what's something SPECIFIC we're looking for? | Examine specifically for wasting or hypertrophy (thickening of muscle fibers from use; exercise.),
fasciculation (twitch)/involuntary movements (like protective spasm). |
| Name a cause for muscle wasting. | Lower motor neurone lesions (between spine and muscle), longstanding or developmental upper motor neuron damage (between brain and spine).
Muscle disorders; rheumatoid arthritis, cachexia (wasting due to chronic illness). |
| What causes hypertrophy, and is it always bad? | Hypertrophy is not usually a bad thing.
Causes: certain occupations (such as those requiring frequent use of muscles; farming, construction), and sports. This causes the thickening of muscle fibers, thus creating larger (but not necessarily stronger) muscles. |
| What is Fasciculation, and is it always a bad thing? | Fasciculation is not usually the sign of a medical issue... but it can be the sign of a severe disorder or injury. Usually, fasciculation is caused by stress, trauma, injury, or fatigue (in healthy people).
A fasciculation, or muscle twitch, is a spontaneous, involuntary muscle contraction and relaxation, involving fine muscle fibers. |
| What is a general reason for a, atypical muscle spasm (not related to stress, trauma, injury, or fatigue)? | Lower motor neuron diseases/lesions, non-pathological fasciculation (after vigorous exercise in healthy people). |
| What's a "Myoclonic Jerk," and what might cause someone to have one? | Myoclonic jerks - sudden shock-like contractions of one or more muscles which may be focal or diffuse. They may occur singly or repetitively.
Causes - Healthy individuals: when falling asleep or
surprised by a sudden noise or stimulus.
Epilepsy, diffuse brain damage and dementias. |
| Which is true for a Parkinson's Tremor?
a) Worse at rest, reduced during voluntary movement
b) Worst during voluntary movement, reduced at rest.. | a) Worse at rest, reduced during voluntary movement |
| How did "Choreatic" (Chorea) movements earn their name?
(Knowing this will help you understand more about the condition) | Choreatic movements, which are all involuntary, tend to almost seem "choreographed," in that the movements are rhythmic, and "DANCELIKE".
See video in "alternative answers" |
| Athetosis is similar to Chorea, however, it is a little different.
Describe the movements a person with Athetosis might have.
If you can only "act out" the movements in your head, that is also fine. I understand many students are ESL. | Athetosis is a movement dysfunction. It's characterized by involuntary WRITHING (often called "snake like") movements.
With athetosis, the same regions of the body are repeatedly affected. These typically include the hands, arms, and feet.
See video for "snakelike" movements in Athetosis. |
| ________ is a rhythmic series of contractions evoked by sudden
stretch of the muscles. Often associated with _________ (choose Upper OR Lower for blank) motor neuron lesions. In this series of contractions, the contractions DO NOT STOP after the stretch has been released. | Clonus
See video in alt answers for a visual |
| What is muscle spasticity? Is it associated with upper or lower motor neuron lesions? | Spasticity is a velocity-dependent resistance to passive movement (i.e. muscle resists being stretched). Most often associated with upper motor neuron lesions/issues. |
| In muscles that have spasticity issues, are the muscles more often kept in a shortened (contracted) or lengthened (stretched) position, when passive? | Shortened (contracted).
This makes sense because spastic muscles resist passive stretching. |
| When stretching a muscle that is RESSISTANT to stretching, and then *suddenly* relaxes and stops resisting... do they have rigidity or spasticity? | Spasticity is muscle stiffness, but nearing the END of the ROM, it will RELEASE (stop resisting).
See video in alternative answers to easily understand the different between the two! You'll never forget! |
| To reinforce UPPER limb reflex response (if reflex appears absent), what do you ask the patient to do? | To reinforce the upper limb reflexes ask the patient to clench their teeth. |
| To reinforce LOWER limb reflex response (if reflex appears absent), what do you ask the patient to do? | Ask the patient to interlock the fingers and pull one hand against the
other. |
| True or false: you can test for lower motor neuron lesions in the cervical spine by checking the reflexes in the biceps, triceps AND supinator muscles? | True.
More specifically, it checks C5 to C8. |
| True or False:
Checking finger reflexes checks 3 cervical nerves. | FALSE.
It checks 2 cervical nerves (C7 and C8) AND 1 thoracic (T1) |
| When you reflex test the knee, what Lumbar nerve are you checking? | L3 |
| Does this ankle test check sacrum, lumbar or coccyx nerves | Sacrum.
Specifically S1, S2 |
| The plantar nerves are made up of L and S nerves. Which ones? | L5, S1 and S3. |
| If you drag an orange stick across the abdomen, which thoracic nerves (#?) are you checking? | T8-T12 |
| When documenting reflexes, positive (+) and absent (-) reflexes are marked by symbols. How is "only present using reinforcement" symbolically communicated? | ± |
| What is this reflex test called?
Lightly tap the lips. An abnormal response is protrusion of the mouth | Snout Reflex |
| What is this reflex called?
Firmly stroke the palm from the radial side. In an abnormal response, your finger is gripped by the patient's hand | "Grasp Reflex" |
| What is this reflex TEST called?
Stand behind the patient and tap repeatedly between the eyebrows with the tip of your index finger. Normally the blink response stops after 3 to 4 times. | Glabellar Tap.
See "alternative answers". |
| Abnormally brisk reflexes (hyperreflexia) = ______ motor neuron damage. | Upper |
| The Babinski sign is the result of an upper or lower motor neuron lesion?
(lower image is of Babinski Sign) | Upper |
