Overview
From AROM to weight-bearing status, physical therapy has a language of its own. This glossary translates the terms you're most likely to hear.
Physical therapy comes with its own vocabulary, and understanding it helps you participate actively in your own care. Here are the terms patients encounter most.
Movement terms: AROM (active range of motion — you move the joint) versus PROM (passive — the therapist moves it). Gait means your walking pattern. Weight-bearing status describes how much load you may put on a limb, from non-weight-bearing (NWB) through partial (PWB) to weight-bearing as tolerated (WBAT).
Assessment terms: Functional outcome measures are standardized tests — like the Timed Up and Go (TUG) or 30-second chair stand — that quantify your abilities. A baseline is your starting measurement, against which progress is compared. Objective measures are quantified observations (degrees, seconds, meters); subjective measures are your reported experience. Both matter.
Care model terms: RTM (Remote Therapeutic Monitoring) refers to programs where clinicians review data from your exercises and mobility between visits. A plan of care is the documented roadmap of your goals and treatments. HEP is your home exercise program — the work between sessions where much of the progress actually happens.
Key Takeaways
- AROM vs PROM: who is doing the moving
- Weight-bearing status defines how much load a limb may take
- Outcome measures like the TUG quantify progress objectively
- Your home exercise program is where much of the progress happens