Physical Therapy Evaluation Tool (PEAT) 2 Practice Exam

When postural stability is lacking, the goal is to evoke automatic activation of the trunk muscles through meaningful proprioceptive input that mimics handling and load on the spine. Applying joint approximation through the shoulders to the trunk delivers a direct, proximal cue that increases sensory feedback from the shoulder girdle and spinal joints, promoting co-contraction of the deep stabilizers (like the transversus abdominis and multifidus) and increasing intra-abdominal pressure. This creates a more rigid, controlled trunk and better resistance to perturbations, which is essential for improving stability. Other techniques offer sensory or relaxation effects but don’t provide the same targeted facilitation of trunk stabilizers. Slow rocking can aid comfort or gentle sensory input but doesn’t reliably recruit the spinal stabilizers needed for stability. Continuous skin pressure over the back is more superficial and lacks joint input to drive the necessary muscular co-contraction. Low-frequency vibration can alter tone temporarily but isn’t as effective at developing sustained trunk stability through coordinated muscle activation.