Motor System Testing

Question 1

What does the spastic hemiparesis gait look like?

Answer 1

1. Unilateral upper motor neuron disease
2. Arm flexed
3. Leg outward and forward often with dragging toe

Question 2

What does the scissor gait look like?

Answer 2

1. Spastic paresis bilateral legs
2. Thighs cross each other

Question 3

What does the stoppage gait look like?

Answer 3

1. Lower motor neuron disease
2. Usually foot drop
3. Feet are lifted high with flexed knees
4. Feet slap floor

Question 4

What does sensory ataxia gait look like?

Answer 4

1. Loss of position sense in legs
2. Gait is unsteady and wide base
3. Feet are lifted high and slapped

Question 5

What does the cerebellar gait look like?

Answer 5

1. Staggering unsteady
2. Widebased gait
3. Difficulty turning

Question 6

What does the Parkinsonian gait look like?

Answer 6

1. Basal ganglia defects
2. Posture stoked
3. Hips and knees flexed
4. Short shuffling steps
5. Turns all in one piece

Question 7

What are fasiculations?

Answer 7

1. Visible twitching muscle bundle movements
   *signs of lower motor neuron disease

Question 8

What are tremors

Answer 8

Involuntary rhythmic movements that may be more pronounced at rest

Question 9

What are tics?

Answer 9

Repetitive muscle twitching
*brief, repetitive, stereotyped, coordinated movements occurring at irregular intervals

Question 10

What is chorea?

Answer 10

1. Involuntary movements
2. Rapid, jerky, irregular, unpredictable

Question 11

What is athetosis

Answer 11

Abnormal muscle contractions causing involuntary writhing movements

Question 12

What is myoclonus

Answer 12

1. Involuntary
2. Sudden very rapid unpredictable jerks, faster than Chorea

Question 13

What is asterixis

Answer 13

Involuntary brief loss of hand and finger muscles resulting in flapping of hands
*indicate encephalopathy
*unilateral indicates structural disease on contralateral side of brain

Question 14

When does Babinski sign disappear?

Answer 14

Around 24 months

Question 15

What is a decorticate rigidity

Answer 15

Arms/elbows are in a flexed position

Question 16

What are intention tremors?

Answer 16

Tremors that are absent at rest, appear with movement and often get worse as the target gets closer

Question 17

Patient is unable to maintain abduction of their fingers- which nerve is involved?

Answer 17

Ulnar nerve

Question 18

What is spasticity?

Answer 18

Velocity-dependent increased tone that worsens at extremes of range

Question 19

What is dysmetria?

Answer 19

Difficulty with complex movements needing coordination

Question 20

What is hemiplegia?

Answer 20

1. One side paralysis
   *leg lies externally rotated
   *arm is flaccid

Question 21

What is decerebrate rigidity?

Answer 21

1. Jaws are clenched
2. Neck is extended
3. Arms are adducted and stiffly extended at the elbows with forearms pronated, wrists and fingers flexed
4. Feet are plantar flexed

Question 22

What will happen to the face if there is a peripheral lesion of CN VII?

Answer 22

1. Eye will not close, eyeball rolls up
2. Flat nasolabial fold
3. Forehead will not wrinkle, eyebrow will not raise
4. There will be paralysis of lower face

Question 23

What will happen to the face if there is a central lesion of CN VII?

Answer 23

1. Eye will close (slight weakness)
2. Flat nasolabial fold
3. Forehead wrinkled, eyebrow will raise
4. There will be paralysis of lower face

Question 24

What are postural tremors?

Answer 24

1. These tremors appear when the affected part is actively maintaining a posture

Question 25

What are resting (static) tremors?

Answer 25

1. These tremors are prominent at rest and may decrease or disappear with voluntary movement

Question 26

What does a positive pronator drift mean?

Answer 26

1. There is a lesion in the corticospinal tract in the contralateral hemisphere

Question 27

What is hemiparesis?

Answer 27

Weakness on one side of the body

Question 28

What is hemiplegia?

Answer 28

Paralysis on one side of the body

Question 29

What is paraplegia?

Answer 29

Paralysis of the legs

Question 30

what is damaged if there is wrist and finger extensor weakness?

Answer 30

1. Peripheral radial nerve damage

Question 31

What is damaged if there is weak abduction of the thumb?

Answer 31

Median nerve disorders

Question 32

What is dysdiadochokinesis?

Answer 32

Type of cerebellar disease
1. There will be slow irregular, and clumsy movements instead of
*quick alternating movements

Question 33

What can walking on toes and heels reveal?

Answer 33

A distal leg weakness

Question 34

What does having the inability to heel walk mean?

Answer 34

Test for corticospinal tract damage

Question 35

If someone has cerebellar ataxia what will happen during the Romberg test?

Answer 35

1. Standing with eyes open (negative Romberg test)
2. Standing with eyes loses (positive Romberg test)

Question 36

What is analgesia

Answer 36

Absence of pain sensation

Question 37

What is hypalgesia?

Answer 37

Decreased sensitivity to pain

Question 38

What is hyperalgesia?

Answer 38

Increased pain sensitivity

Question 39

What is anesthesia?

Answer 39

Absence of touch sensation

Question 40

What is hypesthesia?

Answer 40

Decreased sensitivity to touch

Question 41

What is hyperesthesia?

Answer 41

Increased sensitivity to touch

Question 42

What is the first sensation lost in peripheral neuropathy?

Answer 42

Vibration

Question 43

What is a positive Babinski sign?

Answer 43

Dorsiflexion of the big toes
*there is a lesion affecting the corticospinal tract

Question 44

What is a positive brudzinki sign?

Answer 44

Flexion of both the hips and knees
*happens when the neck gets flexed

Question 45

What is a positive kernig sign?

Answer 45

There will be pain and increased resistance to knee extension