Deck 13: Electrotherapy for Musculoskeletal Disorders

Question 1

What two goals do biofeedback and electrotherapy have in common?

A) Stimulation and recruitment of muscle fibers
B) Enhancement of circulatory dynamics and reduction of muscle spasm
C) Increase in muscle strength and motor unit recruitment
D) Reduction of pain

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The recommended amplitude for NMES to achieve a given level of muscle force is termed which of the following?

A) Dosage
B) Quantum
C) Threshold
D) Frequency

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Research studies on the effect of NMES on quadriceps strength following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction found increased strength in the quadriceps using which of the following stimulation intensities?

A) 10% below muscle contraction
B) 50% of maximum voluntary contraction
C) 100% maximum voluntary contraction
D) Maximum tolerated current

Answer 3

D

Question 4

When selecting a stimulator for NMES, which of the following types of stimulators will be effective?

A) Only large line-powered NMES devices
B) Only portable battery-operated NMES devices
C) Either line-powered or battery-operated NMES devices
D) Any device, including TENS and direct current (DC) devices

Question 5

During NMES, what pattern of recruitment of motor units will most likely occur?

A) Spatial and temporal
B) Smallest to largest
C) Largest to smallest
D) Only the largest motor units will be recruited.

Question 6

Which of the following ranges of frequencies represents the force-frequency relationship?

A) 10 to 20 Hz
B) 30 to 50 Hz
C) 50 to 80 Hz
D) 80 to 100 Hz

Question 7

Increases in strength of the quadriceps following the first 2 weeks of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) treatments are most likely secondary to which of the following?

A) Changes in motor unit recruitment
B) Increases in nerve conduction velocity
C) Hypertrophy of muscle size
D) Decreases in tissue resistance to current

Question 8

Which of the following is a contraindication for biofeedback?

A) Muscle spasticity
B) Diabetes
C) Peripheral neuropathy
D) There are no contraindications for biofeedback.

Question 9

Studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the amount of muscle used during NMES have found which of the following?

A) Only motor units near the skin's surface are activated.
B) Motor units throughout the muscle are activated.
C) Only motor units directly under the electrodes are activated.
D) Motor units in the deep part of the muscle near bone are not activated.

Question 10

Which of the following sensitivity settings when performing biofeedback is the most sensitive setting for detecting muscle activity?

A) 1 μV
B) 10 μV
C) 100 μV
D) 1,000 μV

Question 11

An advantage of NMES recruitment of muscle fiber type compared to voluntary recruitment is which of the following?

A) Activation of slow fibers at higher contraction intensities
B) Asynchronous recruitment of muscle fibers
C) Activation of fast fibers at lower contraction intensities
D) Instantaneous recruitment of muscle fibers

Question 12

A possible limitation of NMES is which of the following?

A) The inability of NMES to achieve greater than 50% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC).
B) Recruitment of fast fibers occurs before recruitment of slow fibers.
C) Firing frequencies of muscle fibers are lower than frequencies used during NMES.
D) Duration of NMES treatments is much longer than comparable voluntary strengthening programs.

Question 13

Which of the following is the key factor in the efficacy of NMES strengthening protocols?

A) Size of electrodes placed over the muscle to be stimulated
B) Selection of electrical stimulation (ES) waveform
C) Age and sex of the patient
D) Intensity of training

Question 14

Which of the following types of ES is required for ES of denervated muscle?

A) Direct current (DC)
B) Alternating current (AC)
C) Biphasic pulsed
D) Interferential

Question 15

Electrode placements for NMES applications depend on which of the following?

A) Location of the joint line
B) Ratio of muscle fiber size to the size of the entire muscle
C) Predominant type of muscle fibers in the muscle to be stimulated
D) Size and location of the targeted muscle

Question 16

Which of the following parameters can be decreased to help limit fatigue during NMES?

A) Frequency
B) Fall-time
C) Off-time
D) Interpulse interval