NPTE Plan

Musculoskeletal System: practice questions

4 original questions · 4 editor-approved · every choice explained.

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Blueprint-mapped questions with full rationales for every choice.

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Musculoskeletal SystemDifficulty 2/5

Six weeks after a posterior-approach total hip arthroplasty, a patient wants to retrieve an object from the floor. Which instruction respects the precautions?

  1. AUse a reacher, keeping hip flexion under 90 degrees and avoiding adduction
  2. BSit and cross the operated leg over the other to lower the trunk
  3. CBend forward at the waist while internally rotating the operated hip
  4. DSquat with both hips flexed past 90 degrees keeping the trunk upright
Show answer and rationale

Correct: A. Posterior precautions prohibit hip flexion beyond 90 degrees, adduction past midline and internal rotation. A reacher preserves all three; each other option violates at least one.

  • D — Squatting past 90 degrees of hip flexion breaches the flexion precaution.
  • B — Crossing the leg adducts and internally rotates the operated hip.
  • C — Forward bending with internal rotation combines two prohibited motions.
Musculoskeletal SystemDifficulty 3/5

A positive Lachman test in an acutely injured knee most directly implicates which structure?

  1. AThe posterior cruciate ligament resisting posterior tibial translation
  2. BThe anterior cruciate ligament resisting anterior tibial translation
  3. CThe medial meniscus, which produces clicking on rotation
  4. DThe medial collateral ligament resisting valgus stress at the knee
Show answer and rationale

Correct: B. Lachman assesses anterior tibial translation on a fixed femur at 20-30 degrees of flexion, testing the anterior cruciate ligament. It is more sensitive than the anterior drawer in acute injury because hamstring guarding interferes less.

  • A — Posterior translation is tested by the posterior drawer and posterior sag sign.
  • C — Meniscal pathology is assessed by McMurray and joint-line tenderness.
  • D — The MCL is tested with valgus stress at 0 and 30 degrees.
Musculoskeletal SystemDifficulty 3/5

A patient shows a lateral trunk lean over the stance limb during gait. Which impairment most likely explains this compensation?

  1. AWeak ankle dorsiflexors causing a steppage pattern in swing
  2. BKnee-extension contracture limiting stance-phase flexion
  3. CWeak hip abductors on the stance side, compensated by shifting the trunk
  4. DWeak hip flexors on the swing side, shortening the step length
Show answer and rationale

Correct: C. Lateral trunk lean over the stance limb is compensated Trendelenburg: the trunk shifts to move the centre of mass over the weak side and reduce the demand on the hip abductors.

  • D — Weak hip flexors shorten step length rather than producing trunk lean.
  • A — Dorsiflexor weakness produces steppage or foot slap in swing.
  • B — An extension contracture alters knee motion rather than trunk position.
Musculoskeletal SystemDifficulty 3/5

Using the convex-concave rule, which glide increases shoulder abduction at the glenohumeral joint?

  1. AAnterior glide of the glenoid on the humeral head
  2. BPosterior glide of the humeral head to free the capsule
  3. CSuperior glide of the humeral head on the glenoid
  4. DInferior glide of the humeral head on the glenoid
Show answer and rationale

Correct: D. The convex humeral head moves on a concave glenoid, so the roll and glide are opposite: abduction rolls superiorly and glides inferiorly. Inferior glide is therefore the mobilisation that increases abduction.

  • C — Superior glide opposes the required arthrokinematics and can impinge.
  • A — The glenoid is the fixed concave surface in this technique.
  • B — Posterior glide primarily increases internal rotation and flexion.

Primary references

  1. NPTE-PT Test Content Outline, effective January 2024 (v1.1) — Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22