Kinesiology and biomechanics

50 Gulf Prometric Physiotherapist (DHA, DOH, MOH, SCFHS, QCHP) practice questions on Kinesiology and biomechanics, part of Kinesiology, Biomechanics and Ergonomics. The first 25 are below; the first 5 with answers and explanations (tap Show answer after you have chosen), the rest in Learn with a free account.

1. Question 1 · Medium

   At the same angular velocity, a muscle produces the greatest force during which type of contraction?

   1. AConcentric
   2. BIsometric at its shortest length
   3. CIsokinetic at maximal speed
   4. DEccentric

   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: D · Eccentric

   Force-velocity curves show that the force generated rises as a muscle is lengthened under load and is highest in eccentric contractions. Concentric force falls as speed of shortening increases. Elastic components and cross-bridge behaviour explain the higher eccentric force.

   • A: Concentric force falls with speed of shortening.
   • B: A shortened isometric contraction is limited by overlap of the filaments.
   • C: A high-speed isokinetic concentric contraction produces less force.

   Remember this

   Eccentric contractions generate the highest force at a given speed.

2. Question 2 · Medium

   A runner with an acutely painful hip walks with the stance time on the painful side clearly shortened. This pattern is called:

   1. AScissoring gait
   2. BAntalgic gait
   3. CSteppage gait
   4. DTrendelenburg gait

   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B · Antalgic gait

   An antalgic gait reduces the time and load on the painful limb, so stance on that side is brief and the opposite step is quick. It occurs with painful joints or fractures. Weak abductors, foot drop and spasticity produce different, characteristic patterns.

   • A: Scissoring gait results from adductor spasticity in spastic diplegia.
   • C: Steppage gait results from foot drop with high leg lift.
   • D: Trendelenburg gait results from weak hip abductors with pelvic drop.

   Remember this

   Antalgic gait: short stance on the painful limb.

3. Question 3 · Medium

   In terminal swing, which muscle group works eccentrically to decelerate the swinging leg before initial contact?

   1. AQuadriceps
   2. BHamstrings
   3. CGluteus medius
   4. DTibialis anterior

   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: B · Hamstrings

   In terminal swing the knee extends quickly as the shank swings forward. The hamstrings contract eccentrically to slow knee extension and hip flexion so that the heel lands under control. Tibialis anterior is active at the same time, but only to hold the ankle in dorsiflexion.

   • A: The quadriceps extend the knee; they do not brake the swinging leg.
   • C: Gluteus medius works mainly in stance to level the pelvis.
   • D: Tibialis anterior holds the foot up for clearance and heel contact, but does not decelerate the limb.

   Remember this

   The hamstrings decelerate the limb eccentrically in terminal swing.

4. Question 4 · Easy

   Which activity is an example of a second-class lever acting at the ankle joint?

   1. ANodding the head at the atlanto-occipital joint
   2. BFlexing the elbow while holding a dumbbell
   3. CRising onto the toes while standing
   4. DExtending the knee from a sitting position

   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C · Rising onto the toes while standing

   In a second-class lever the resistance lies between the fulcrum and the effort. When the heel rises, the ball of the foot is the fulcrum, body weight acts through the ankle and the calf muscles pull on the heel, so the effort arm is longer than the resistance arm. Such levers favour force over speed.

   • A: Nodding is a first-class lever with the fulcrum between effort and resistance.
   • B: Elbow flexion with a held weight is a third-class lever.
   • D: Knee extension from sitting is a third-class lever.

   Remember this

   Second-class lever: resistance lies between fulcrum and effort, as in rising on the toes.

5. Question 5 · Medium

   In the gait cycle, the main functional task of the loading response is:

   1. AForward propulsion of the body
   2. BAdvancing the limb to clear the foot
   3. CShock absorption and weight acceptance
   4. DPreparing the limb for toe-off

   Show answerHide answer

   Answer: C · Shock absorption and weight acceptance

   The loading response runs from initial contact to the lifting of the opposite foot. Its tasks are shock absorption and the acceptance of body weight onto the limb, with the knee flexing and the foot lowering under eccentric control. Propulsion occurs later, in terminal stance and pre-swing.

   • A: Propulsion belongs to terminal stance and pre-swing.
   • B: Limb advancement is the task of the swing phase.
   • D: Preparation for toe-off is the task of pre-swing.

   Remember this

   Loading response: weight acceptance and shock absorption after initial contact.

6. Question 6 · Medium

   In normal walking, what is the total time spent in double limb support as a proportion of the gait cycle?

   1. AAbout 20 percent
   2. BAbout 60 percent
   3. CAbout 40 percent
   4. DAbout 10 percent

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

7. Question 7 · Medium

   Which is the main biomechanical function of the patella during knee extension?

   1. AIt lengthens the quadriceps moment arm
   2. BIt absorbs the tibial shear force
   3. CIt limits tibial internal rotation
   4. DIt stores elastic energy for the hamstrings

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

8. Question 8 · Medium

   A muscle's rotary (torque-producing) component is greatest when its angle of pull to the bone is:

   1. A45 degrees
   2. B90 degrees
   3. C0 degrees
   4. D180 degrees

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

9. Question 9 · Hard

   With the knee extended, a patient lying supine can raise the straight leg to only 50 degrees of hip flexion. With the knee flexed the hip flexes to 100 degrees. What best explains the difference?

   1. AActive insufficiency of the rectus femoris
   2. BPassive insufficiency of the two-joint hamstrings
   3. CWeakness of the iliopsoas
   4. DCapsular restriction of the hip

   Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

10. Question 10 · Easy

    When a concave joint surface moves on a fixed convex surface, the gliding of the moving surface occurs:

    1. AIn the same direction as the bone movement
    2. BIn the opposite direction to the bone movement
    3. CPerpendicular to the joint surface
    4. DOnly as a pure spin without any glide

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

11. Question 11 · Medium

    A patient with weakness of gluteus maximus shows which typical compensation at initial contact?

    1. ALateral lean of the trunk to the opposite side
    2. BHip hiking in swing
    3. CForward lean of the trunk
    4. DBackward lean of the trunk

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

12. Question 12 · Medium

    What is the main function of subtalar pronation during the loading response of gait?

    1. AUnlock the midtarsal joints so the foot absorbs shock
    2. BProduce knee external rotation
    3. CLock the foot to form a rigid lever for push-off
    4. DRaise the medial longitudinal arch

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

13. Question 13 · Hard

    A patient with right hip abductor weakness leans the trunk over the right (stance) hip during right stance. How does this compensation reduce the abductor demand?

    1. AIt lengthens the moment arm of the abductors
    2. BIt increases the weight of the swing leg
    3. CIt brings the line of gravity closer to the hip joint
    4. DIt transfers the load to the hip adductors

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

14. Question 14 · Easy

    In a standing adult, the centre of gravity is located approximately:

    1. AAt the level of the xiphoid process
    2. BAnterior to the second sacral vertebra
    3. CPosterior to the L5 vertebral body
    4. DJust below the pubic symphysis

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

15. Question 15 · Medium

    A patient sitting with the leg hanging lacks the last degrees of knee extension. The therapist stabilises the femur. Which tibial mobilisation matches the arthrokinematics of the lost motion?

    1. AAnterior glide of the tibia on the femur
    2. BPosterior glide of the tibia on the femur
    3. CMedial glide of the tibia on the femur
    4. DDistraction of the tibia from the femur only

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

16. Question 16 · Hard

    A man walks with a cadence of 120 steps per minute. Assuming a normal gait pattern, how long does the stance phase of one limb last?

    1. AAbout 0.6 seconds
    2. BAbout 0.4 seconds
    3. CAbout 1.0 second
    4. DAbout 0.3 seconds

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

17. Question 17 · Medium

    A person cannot make a tight fist when the wrist is held in full flexion, because the finger flexors cannot shorten any more. This is an example of:

    1. APassive insufficiency
    2. BActive insufficiency
    3. CReciprocal inhibition
    4. DConcentric overload

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

18. Question 18 · Hard

    In right single-limb stance, the body weight above the hip is 600 N and acts 10 cm medial to the hip joint centre. The hip abductors act 5 cm lateral to the centre. The patient holds a cane in the left hand and pushes down so that the floor gives an upward force of 80 N at 25 cm from the hip centre on the left. What abductor force is needed to keep the pelvis level?

    1. A800 N
    2. B1,200 N
    3. C400 N
    4. D1,000 N

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

19. Question 19 · Medium

    A woman has an increased quadriceps (Q) angle. Which tracking problem is she predisposed to?

    1. AMedial tracking of the patella
    2. BLateral tracking of the patella
    3. CPosterior tibial subluxation
    4. DExcessive tibial external rotation of the foot

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

20. Question 20 · Medium

    A patient's stride length measured on a walkway is 1.30 m and the gait is symmetrical. What is the step length?

    1. A2.60 m
    2. B0.33 m
    3. C0.65 m
    4. D1.30 m

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

21. Question 21 · Medium

    A patient with a weak quadriceps walks with the trunk leaning forward at loading response. What is the purpose of this adaptation?

    1. ATo shorten the swing phase of the other leg
    2. BTo place the ground reaction force in front of the knee
    3. CTo reduce the demand on the hip abductors
    4. DTo increase ankle plantarflexion at toe-off

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

22. Question 22 · Easy

    Elbow flexion and extension take place in which plane and about which axis?

    1. AFrontal plane, sagittal axis
    2. BTransverse plane, vertical axis
    3. CSagittal plane, frontal (medial-lateral) axis
    4. DSagittal plane, vertical axis

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

23. Question 23 · Medium

    During a full 150 degrees of arm elevation with normal scapulohumeral rhythm, how much of this movement comes from scapulothoracic motion?

    1. AAbout 100 degrees
    2. BAbout 75 degrees
    3. CAbout 30 degrees
    4. DAbout 50 degrees

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

24. Question 24 · Medium

    During weight-bearing knee extension, such as rising from a chair, how do the femoral condyles move on the fixed tibia?

    1. ARoll and glide anteriorly
    2. BRoll and glide posteriorly
    3. CRoll anteriorly and glide posteriorly
    4. DRoll posteriorly and glide anteriorly

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account

25. Question 25 · Medium

    When a connective tissue is loaded within its elastic range and the load is then removed, the tissue:

    1. ARemains permanently elongated
    2. BRecovers its original length
    3. CRuptures
    4. DBecomes stiffer

    Answer and explanation in LearnFree account