FSBPT NPTE-PTA Prep Online

The symptoms described during exercise in a patient with diabetes who is shaky and sweaty are most consistent with hypoglycemia. The first priority is to stop the activity and treat suspected mild hypoglycemia in a patient who is alert and able to swallow by providing a fast-acting carbohydrate, then notifying the supervising PT and monitoring for improvement per facility policy. Water does not correct low blood glucose. Administering insulin would worsen hypoglycemia. Urgent medical help is typically reserved for severe symptoms, inability to swallow, loss of consciousness, or failure to improve with appropriate carbohydrate and monitoring.

Fine (discriminative) touch, vibration, and proprioception (joint position sense) from the body are transmitted primarily through the dorsal column–medial lemniscal pathway (DCML). The choice mentioning the anterior spinothalamic tract is more associated with crude touch and pressure rather than detailed sensory discrimination. The choice mentioning the lateral corticospinal tract is a descending motor pathway for voluntary movement. The choice mentioning the reticulospinal tract is involved in posture, tone, and reflex-related motor control, not fine touch or proprioception.

Axillary crutches should not be used to support body weight through the underarm pad. Prolonged or excessive pressure in the axilla can compress neurovascular structures (classically associated with crutch palsy), so clients are instructed to bear weight through the hands on the handgrips with the axillary pad used only for guidance/stability. The choice about “carrying items easily while walking” is incorrect because crutch ambulation requires both hands on the handgrips. The choices describing that the axillary pad should support most weight or that upper-extremity strength is unnecessary are incorrect because safe use requires upper-extremity support through the handgrips.