Clear terminology makes electrotherapy easier to understand. This sample set revises electrical stimulation purposes, pulse characteristics and simple calculations used in physiotherapy learning. The questions address underlying principles; they do not prescribe treatment settings for an individual patient.
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Correct answer: B. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
TENS means transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Surface electrodes deliver electrical stimulation through the skin to activate peripheral nerves and modulate pain signalling. It is not a heat treatment.
Correct answer: C. Skeletal muscle contraction
NMES uses electrical stimulation to produce skeletal muscle contraction. In conventional surface NMES of innervated muscle, the stimulation acts through motor nerves rather than replacing their anatomical connection to muscle.
Correct answer: A. It is organized to assist a purposeful movement or task.
FES coordinates electrically evoked contractions with a functional goal, such as assisting a grasp or part of walking. The defining feature is the purposeful movement, not one universal device setting.
Correct answer: D. 50 Hz
Pulse frequency describes the number of pulses delivered each second. Fifty pulses per second corresponds to 50 Hz. A biphasic pulse still counts as one pulse, even though it contains two phases.
Correct answer: B. Pulse duration
Pulse duration, also called pulse width, describes the time occupied by a pulse. It differs from the number of pulses per second and from the total length of a treatment session.
Correct answer: A. Current amplitude
Current amplitude is the magnitude of electrical current and can be expressed in milliamperes. Frequency is expressed in hertz, while duration and off-time use units of time.
Correct answer: C. A pulse containing two phases of opposite polarity
A biphasic pulse contains two phases of opposite polarity. The phases can be symmetric or asymmetric; the term alone does not mean that their amplitudes and durations are identical.
Correct answer: D. Direct current
Direct current flows continuously in one direction. Alternating current reverses direction, while pulsed currents include interruptions between pulses. These terms describe electrical characteristics rather than guaranteed clinical effects.
Correct answer: A. 100 Hz
The beat frequency is the absolute difference between the two carrier frequencies: 4,100 − 4,000 = 100 Hz. It should not be confused with their average carrier frequency.
Correct answer: B. 25%
At the stimulation-train level, duty cycle equals ON time divided by total ON plus OFF time. Here, 10 ÷ (10 + 30) × 100 = 25%. This specifies a timing pattern, not a recommended treatment dose.
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