Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Glossary

The objective measurement of muscle force or grip strength using a dynamometer, used in PM&R to quantify strength defici...

Difficulty in swallowing, commonly addressed in rehabilitation settings through speech-language pathology intervention f...

Limb amputation resulting from impaired vascular supply to an extremity, most commonly secondary to peripheral arterial...

The systematic clinical approach to reducing and controlling abnormal accumulation of interstitial fluid in affected lim...

A nerve fibre that carries motor commands from the central nervous system outward to muscles and glands; paired with 'af...

A diagnostic procedure—including nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG)—used to evaluate the function...

Abbreviation for electromyography, a diagnostic procedure that records the electrical activity of muscles to evaluate ne...

Functional Capacity Evaluation; a systematic battery of performance-based tests that objectively measure an individual's...

The numerical output of the Functional Independence Measure assessment, ranging from 18 (total dependence) to 126 (total...

Abnormally reduced muscle tone, resulting in limp, unresisting limbs, typically associated with lower motor neuron lesio...

A rehabilitation modality that uses electrical current applied to nerves or muscles to produce or augment functional mov...

A standardised 18-item clinical assessment tool that quantifies the level of assistance a patient requires to perform da...

A standardised rating scale used in PM&R and paediatric rehabilitation to classify a patient's level of walking ability...

A systematic evaluation of a patient's walking pattern, using observational or instrumented methods to identify biomecha...

Partial dislocation of the shoulder joint in which the humeral head is displaced from the glenoid fossa, commonly occurr...

Gross Motor Function Classification System; a five-level ordinal scale used to classify functional motor abilities in in...

The measurement of joint angles using a goniometer to quantify range of motion for assessment and outcome tracking in re...

Weakness affecting one side of the body, less severe than hemiplegia, commonly seen after stroke or hemispheric brain in...

Complete paralysis of one side of the body, typically resulting from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other unilater...

The pathological formation of bone in soft tissues—such as muscle, tendons, or periarticular structures—commonly complic...

Abbreviation for Heterotopic Ossification; used in rehabilitation medicine notes, radiology reports, and complication lo...

The therapeutic use of water — including pools, whirlpools, and aquatic exercise — to facilitate rehabilitation of muscu...

A standardized numeric estimate, expressed as a percentage, of the degree to which a medical condition reduces a person'...

A specialised hospital or unit providing intensive, multidisciplinary rehabilitation services requiring at least three h...