Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Glossary
105 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
PNF PNF
Abbreviation for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation; a technique combining movement patterns and muscle contractions to improve strength, coordination, and flexibility in rehabilitation.
Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Team
The coordinated group of clinicians from multiple disciplines—including physiatry, physical therapy, occupational therap...
IRF-PAI
Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility–Patient Assessment Instrument; the standardized CMS data collection form required for...
Isokinetic Exercise
A form of dynamic muscle exercise in which the speed of movement is held constant by a specialized dynamometer, allowing...
Kinesiotherapy
The therapeutic application of scientifically based exercise principles to improve strength, endurance, and functional m...
Locomotor Training
A structured therapeutic approach using repetitive, task-specific stepping practice—often with body-weight support—to re...
Lokomat
A robotic exoskeleton device used in gait rehabilitation to provide assisted, repetitive treadmill-based locomotor train...
Manual Muscle Testing
A standardised bedside assessment in which a clinician applies resistance to evaluate the strength of individual muscles...
Minimum Data Set
A standardised, federally mandated clinical assessment instrument used in skilled nursing facilities to collect comprehe...
Modified Ashworth Scale
A six-point ordinal scale used in rehabilitation to grade the degree of muscle spasticity or resistance to passive stret...
Myofascial Release
A manual therapy technique targeting restrictions in the myofascial connective tissue to reduce pain, restore mobility,...
NCS
Abbreviation for nerve conduction study, the component of an electrodiagnostic evaluation that measures the speed and am...
Neurogenic Bladder
Bladder dysfunction caused by neurological damage that disrupts the normal neural control of micturition, resulting in f...
Neurogenic Bowel
Dysfunction of the bowel resulting from damage to the nervous system, leading to impaired ability to control defecation,...
Neurological Level of Injury
The most caudal spinal cord segment with normal motor and sensory function bilaterally, used in spinal cord injury class...
Neuromuscular Re-education
A rehabilitation technique using exercises and sensory feedback to restore normal movement patterns and muscle recruitme...
Neuropathic Pain
Pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, characterised by burning, shooting, or electric-...
Occupational Therapy
A health profession and core rehabilitation discipline focused on enabling individuals to perform meaningful daily occup...
Orthosis
An externally applied device designed to support, align, prevent, or correct musculoskeletal deformities or to improve t...
Orthostatic Hypotension
A sustained decrease in blood pressure upon assuming an upright posture, defined as a fall of ≥20 mmHg systolic or ≥10 m...
Paresis
Partial loss of voluntary motor function, denoting weakness rather than complete paralysis; a precise term that editors...
Phantom Limb Pain
Painful sensations perceived as originating in a limb or limb segment that has been amputated, representing a neuropathi...
Physiatric Consultation
A formal clinical assessment and recommendation document generated by a physiatrist for a patient with functional impair...
Physiatric Goal Setting
The structured process by which a physiatrist and interdisciplinary rehabilitation team establish measurable, time-bound...
Physiatric Prescription
A formal written order issued by a physiatrist specifying a rehabilitation intervention, assistive device, or therapeuti...