English for Physiotherapists  -  Revision Exercises


1. What is a physiotherapist and what types of medical conditions do they work with?




2. Where do physiotherapists commonly work? Which answer is incorrect?

a) outpatient clinics, nursing homes and rehabilitation centres

b) hospitals, sports teams and long term care facilities

c) GP surgeries, military facilities and over 55’s residential facilities

d) Intensive care units, orthopaedic and neurological wards


3. Answer true / false for the statements below:

a) Massage uses touch and pressure, which is applied to the soft tissues, and it is a form of
manual therapy, which also includes joint mobilization and manipulation
techniques.                      T  /  F

b) Exercise therapy is most important for patients because it is always performed under the direct
supervision of a physiotherapist who can correct any mistakes with exercise technique.   T  /  F

c) Muscle stimulation is used to activate the sensation of a muscle by using a low frequency
electrical current to stimulate the sensory fibres of the
muscle.                                                        T  /  F


4. Use the phrasal verbs below in a sentence with a medical / health / sporting context:

a) bounce back:

b) pass out:

c) swell up:

d) pass away:


5. Answer the following questions:

a) Name 3 parts of the upper extremity, and also the lower extremity?

b) What is another name for the following: collar bone, shoulder blade, thigh bone, muscles at the
back of the leg, anterior thigh muscles, the back bone, the patella?


c) Describe what the trunk is, on the human body?


6. What do you call the organ, muscle or system that is:


- in the chest we use for breathing:

- in which babies develop before they are born:

- between the lungs and the stomach, used mainly to control breathing:

- which breaks down food, absorbs nutrients into the body and produces waste:

- which controls movement, sensation, communication and vital functions of the body:


7. Name 3 examples of diseases, illnesses or health problems that may be:

a) acute:

b) chronic:

c) mild:

d) serious, severe or life threatening:


8. Complete the collocations with appropriate examples:

a) You can sprain….

b) You can dislocate….

c) You can bruise….

d) You can develop….

e) You can pull or strain…

f) You can suffer…

g) You can catch…


9. Name some different types of exercise that physios use with their patients?



10. Answer true / false to the following questions:

a) Gait training involves mobilizing a patient by helping them to walk, often after surgery or bed
rest, and may involve teaching the patient to use an appropriate walking
aid.                          T  /  F

b) Joint mobilization or range of motion exercises move the spinal or peripheral joints through a
limited range, to prevent excessive movement and encourage better joint control. T  /  F

c) Proprioceptive exercises assist the patient in improving the control of the joints and muscles
and increasing their position sense and awareness of
movement.                                         T  /  F

d) Dynamic stretching involves positioning the muscles in a lengthened, stretched position and then
holding the stretch for between 15 – 30 seconds, or longer.                                    T
/  F


11. Name some medical / health conditions physios may use the following exercises with:

a) Joint ROM / mobility exercises:

b) Breathing exercises aimed at improving lung expansion:

c) Stabilising exercises:

d) General / cardio-vascular exercise:


12. Name or demonstrate the movements that occur at the following joints:

a) the shoulder:

b) the ankle and sub-talar joints:


13. Which exercise is being described:

a) Step up onto the block, first with one foot, then the other. Then slowly step back down again.
Repeat 10 x leading first with the R leg, then with the L leg.

b) Lay on your back with your knees bent. Then tighten your gluteal muscles and lift your bottom
off the ground. Slowly lower back down again. Repeat 10 times.

c) In a standing or sitting position, raise both of your arms above your head, reaching up towards
the sky. Hold for a few seconds then slowly return your arms back down.


14. Why does playing sport and doing vigorous exercise lead to more chance of a sports injury?




15. What is the most common mechanism of injury of an ankle sprain?

a) Usually the person is injured when sprinting during a sports match

b) The patient may be injured when changing direction while playing sport

c) The ankle twists or rolls when someone steps on uneven ground or loses their balance

d) The patient injures themselves while walking down a flight of steps.


16. Past simple and present perfect - Choose the correct form of the verb:

a) Lisa didn´t go / hasn´t gone to work yesterday as she was suffering from a migraine.

b) I´m looking for Paul. Did you see / Have you seen him? He is supposed to take our circuit class.

c) I still don´t know which consultant to see, I didn´t decide / haven´t decided yet.

d) Oh! I burnt / have burnt myself. I think I’m going to get a blister!

e) Did you eat / Have you eaten a lot of nutritious foods when you were growing up?

f) Lucy earned / has earned a lot of money last year when she was at the peak of her tennis career.

g) Everything is going well, we didn´t have / haven´t had any problems so far with the training
plan.

h) I had / I’ve had a splitting headache all day, I think I need to take a painkiller.


17. What is the difference between:

a) a strain and a sprain?

b) a shoulder subluxation and dislocation?

c) a first degree and a third degree Anterior cruciate ligament injury?

d) A fracture and a contusion?


18. What does the acronym RICE stand for? Why is it used in sports physiotherapy?



19. Name some lifestyle factors which may contribute to poor habitual postures?



20. The features described below are usually found in which postural type / description?

a) hyperextended knees and a forward shift of the pelvis in relation to the body:

b) a rounded lumbar and thoracic spine when someone is sedentary for long periods:

c) people who are stressed who overuse their upper trapezius and shoulder muscles:

d) individuals with pes planus foot posture:


21. Describe what is considered to be the typical skeletal spinal posture in standing?



22. A heavily pregnant female will often demonstrate which of the following postural features:

a) Excessive anterior pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis due to extra weight in the abdomen
  T / F

b) A mild - moderate increase in thoracic kyphosis, due to breast growth during pregnancy        T
/ F

c) Higher arches in the feet (pes cavus) which develop in response to the extra weight
   T / F

d) A significant lumbo-thoracic scoliosis if the baby is positioned asymmetrically in-utero
T / F