Revised 5/2017

PTH 227 - Pathological Conditions (3 CR.)

Course Description

Presents specific pathologic conditions commonly seen in physical therapy. Emphasizes musculoskeletal and neurological system conditions, and all major body systems are represented. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

This course provides the student with information regarding pathological conditions commonly seen in physical therapy. The course is a system based approach to pathological conditions and includes information on pharmacology and medical laboratory values. Physical therapy evaluation findings, intervention goals and intervention outcomes are discussed appropriate to each pathological condition to enable the student to correlate didactic material regarding pathological conditions with the physical therapy management of the conditions, including precautions and contraindications.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: PTH 225, PTH 231.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  • Categorize selected pathologies based upon the major system involved in the pathology
  • Describe selected pathologies according to etiology, pathological findings and clinical manifestations in the following systems/categories: 
    • Musculoskeletal System
    • Nervous System
    • Pediatric and Congenital Conditions
    • Endocrine System
    • Genitourinary and Gastrointestinal
    • Vascular System
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Cardiovascular System
    • Respiratory System
  • Identify at least one diagnostic test for each selected pathology
  • Describe the effect of selected medications on human physiology and determine the clinical significance of their application/prescription given a named pathological condition
  • Name normative values for selected laboratory tests and determine if reported results are above or below the normal value

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Pathology related to: 
    • Musculoskeletal System
    • Nervous System
    • Pediatric and Congenital Conditions
    • Endocrine System
    • Genitourinary and Gastrointestinal
    • Vascular System
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Cardiovascular System
    • Respiratory System
  • Pharmacology
  • Medical laboratory testing/results as diagnostic indicators for pathologic conditions
  • Physical therapy evaluation data
  • Physical therapy intervention, including precautions and contraindications for physical therapy management of pathological conditions.