Okuzeka
Physiotherapy vocabulary · Assessment and Examination

Special test

Meaning in physiotherapy, with examples

nounCommon term

In physiotherapy, special test means: A specific physical test used to check whether a particular structure, such as a ligament or tendon, is likely to be the source of the problem.

In Turkish: özel test

How it is used

Part of the objective assessment. Examples include the Lachman test for the anterior cruciate ligament and the straight leg raise for nerve irritation. Physiotherapists say a test is positive or negative, and know that no single special test is perfect, so they combine results with the history.

Example sentences

  1. Special tests for the meniscus were negative.

  2. Which special test would you use to check the rotator cuff?

Common collocations

  • positive special test
  • perform special tests
  • special tests were negative
  • orthopaedic special tests
  • objective assessmentThe part of a physiotherapy assessment in which the physiotherapist observes, measures and tests the patient's body, for example movement, strength and special tests.
  • assessmentThe process of collecting information about a patient's problem through questions, observation, measurement and tests, in order to understand it and plan treatment.
  • rotator cuffA group of four muscles and their tendons around the shoulder joint, which keep the top of the arm bone centred in the joint and help to rotate and lift the arm.
  • palpationExamining the body by feeling it carefully with the hands, to find tenderness, swelling, muscle tightness, temperature changes or the position of structures.

More terms: Assessment and Examination

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