Common Terms

Check this list for common abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms
used in ICE Videos and Faculty Resources.

✓ - Flexion (note also FLEX, Flex.)

AB - Abduction

ABD - Abduction

Abduct. - Abduction

ACL - Anterior Cruciate Ligament

AD - Adduction

AD - Assistive Device (also above, so this one may be confusing)

ADD - Adduction

ADLs - Activities of Daily Living (note also BADLs - Basic Activities of Daily Living, & IADLs - Instrumental Activities of Daily Living)

AE - Adaptive Equipment

AFO - Ankle Foot Orthosis (used to treat foot drop)

AKA - Above the knee amputation.

ALF - Assisted Living Facility

Amb - Ambulation

AROM - Active Range Of Motion

B - Bilateral, Both

BADLs - Basic Activities of Daily Living (note also ADLs - Activities of Daily Living, & IADLs - Instrumental Activities of Daily Living)

BID - Twice a Day

BKA - Below the Knee Amputation

BOS - Base of Support

BP - Blood Pressure

BPM - Beats Per Minute

BUE - Bilateral Upper Extremities, Both Upper Extremities

C/O - Complaint Of. The patient's expressed concern.

CABG. Coronary artery bypass graft

CGA - Contact Guard Assistance

CHF - Congestive Heart Failure

CNS - Central Nervous System

COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

COTA - Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

CPM - Continuous Passive Motion

CVA - Cerebral Vascular Accident

D/C or DC - Discontinue or Discharge

DON - Director of Nursing

DOR - Director of Rehab

DVT - Deep venous thrombosis

ECC, EKG - Electrocardiogram

EOB  - Edge Of Bed

ER - External Rotation

Estim or ES - Electrical Stimulation

EXT - Extension (or a slash mark is used to signify extension)

FIM score - Functional Independence Level

FLEX, Flex. - Flexion (note also ✓)

FWB - Full Weight Bearing

Fx - Fracture

GHJ - Glenohumeral Joint

H&P - History and physical examination

H/O - History Of

HEP - Home Exercise Program

HO - Heterotopic Ossification

Horiz ABD - Horizontal Abduction

Horiz ADD - Horizontal Adduction

HR - Heart Rate

HTN - Hypertension.

Hx - History

I - Independent

IADLs - Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (note also ADLs - Activities of Daily Living, & BADLs - Basic Activities of Daily Living)

ICU - Intensive Care Unit

IR - Internal Rotation

KAFO - Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis

L - Left

LBQC - Large Base Quad Cane (also known as a wide base quad cane [Wbqc])

LCL - Lateral Collateral Ligament

LE  - Lower Extremity/Extremities

LE - Lower Extremity

LOA - Level of Assist

LTG - Long Term Goal

LUE - Left Upper Extremity

Max A - Maximum Assistance

MCL - Medial Collateral Ligament

MFR - Myofascial Release

MI - myocardial infarction

Min A - Minimum Assistance

Mm - Muscle

MMT - Manual Muscle Test

Mod A - Moderate Assistance

MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MVA - Motor Vehicle Accident

NICU - neonatal intensive care unit

NMES - Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

npo - Nothing by mouth (nil per os)

NWB - Non-Weight Bearing

oa - Osteoarthritis (OA)

OOB - Out Of Bed

OT - Occupational Therapy, Occupational Therapist

OTA - Occupational Therapy Assistant

PA - Physician’s Assistant

PCL - Posterior Cruciate Ligament

PMHx - Past Medical History

PNF - Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation

Post-Op - Postoperative

Pre-Op - Preoperative

PROM - Passive Range of Motion

PT - Physical Therapy, Physical Therapist

Pt. - Patient

PTA - Physical Therapist Assistant

PUW - Pick Up Walker

PWB - Partial Weight Bearing

QC - Quad Cane

QD - Every Day

QID - Four Times A Day

R - Right

RA - Rheumatoid arthritis

RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation Rom

RLE - Right Lower Extremity

RN - Registered Nurse

ROM - Range of Motion

RUE - Right Upper Extremity

RW - Rolling Walker

Rx - Treatment

S - Without (Sans)

SBA - Stand By Assist

SBQC - Small Base Quad Cane (also known as a narrow base quad cane [Nbqc])

SC - Straight Cane

SLP - Speech-Language Pathology, Speech-Language Pathologist

SLPA - Speech-Language Pathology, Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (I didn’t know there was an assistant)

SLR - Straight Leg Raise

SNF - Skilled Nursing Facility

STG - Short Term Goals

STM - Soft Tissue Mobilization

SW - Standard Walker

TENS - Transcutaneous Electrical Neuromuscular Stimulation

THA - Total Hip Arthroplasty

Ther Ex - Therapeutic Exercise

There Ex - Therapeutic Exercise

THR - Total hip replacement (THR)

TIA - Transient ischemic attack

TID - Three Times a Day

TKA - Total knee arthroplasty (TKA)

TKR - Total Knee Replacement

UE - Upper Extremity

US - Ultrasound

UTI - Urinary tract infection

VC - Verbal Cue

WB - Weight Bearing

WBAT - Weight Bearing As Tolerated

WC, W/c - Wheelchair

WFL - Within Functional Limits

WNL - Within Normal Limits

WW - Wheeled Walker